After stop, sign of a Fresh Start in Lynn

LYNN – Anthony Acevedo likes stereos and working with music technology, but before he forges a career in that field, Acevedo will learn independent living skills and job search techniques in the Lynn Public Schools Fresh Start program.Acevedo, an 18-year-old Lynn resident, completed required coursework at Classical High School this year but he needs additional help making the jump to living on his own and holding a job.”These kids are intellectually impaired. They need support to have success, independence and confidence in the real world,” said LPS special education director Cheryl Meninno.Fresh Start students boarded an MBTA bus at the Lynn commuter rail station at 8:40 a.m. Friday bound for the Northshore Mall, where the students were looking to buy Christmas gifts.Fresh Start head teacher Lisa Mageary carefully planned out the excursion with Acevedo and 10 other Fresh Start students by researching bus routes, scouring advertisements for good deals at mall stores and budgeting the limited amount of money the students planned to spend.Although local educators launched Fresh Start in September, Meninno said the program has been in the talking and planning stages for five years. Students who cannot complete state-required MCAS exams or who need other help can receive it through Fresh Start until they turn 22 and are eligible for assistance from state agencies. Most of the teens will not be able to pass all or even one MCAS test, Meninno said, but all of them need help in learning to “fend for themselves.”Lynn resident Brendan Eckman likes the field trips such as Friday’s mall trip organized by Mageary and Fresh Start paraprofessional John Hogan. The students receive classroom instruction related to life skills building and job hunting in the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute annex on Commercial Street, but Hogan said the learn-by-doing experience Eckman and the other students receive allows them to put the skills they learn to use.”Hopefully, we give the kids a step up to the next level of their life,” he said.Mageary said Fresh Start focuses on helping teenagers build their confidence with classroom work focused on social skills. Two Massachusetts-based programs – Work Opportunities and Northeast Arc – also assist Mageary and Hogan in teaching the teens conflict resolution and other skills.Eckman said Fresh Start’s Boston field trip opened his eyes to the world outside Lynn. “I’d like to work at a movie theater or a hotel,” he said.Acevedo has learned how to draw up a budget and read a bus schedule, but he said Fresh Start has also helped him master skills not directly related to classroom work.”I’m learning how to respect others,” he said.Mageary said Fresh Start students, beginning in January, will expand their classroom experience with a North Shore Community College class focusing on current events.”It’s just a way to give them a little taste of the college experience,” she said.