POST FALLS - Zanth Johnson-Luiz appreciates the job skills he has gained this school year while training at the American Legion.

For whom he has been volunteering - veterans - makes it that much more rewarding, the Post Falls High student said.

"They served us and now we get to serve them back," he said with a smile on Monday while taking a break from cleaning the post. "Sure it can be complicated and hard work, but it's worth it."

Fifteen Post Falls students with special needs have been volunteering this year at local nonprofits - including the Legion, Real Life Ministries and the food bank - this year as part of vocational training to prepare them for the workforce and graduation requirements.

Doug Wheeler, who heads the Legion's maintenance program, said Monday was a bittersweet day because it was likely the students' final day at the post.

"It's been rewarding watching these students learn," Wheeler said softly. "We've been so blessed to have these kids here to help. They provide a valuable service. It's a two-way street."

Jon Klomp, one of the students, said he believes the program has helped prepare him for life after high school.

"When we started, we didn't know what to do, but we were guided and finally got it," he said. "Now it's boom, right out of the box, we know what to do. We've learned how to clean better and respect elders."

Students performed various duties, including vacuuming, filling salt and pepper shakers, washing windows and countertops and dusting.

Jill Norton, a life skills paraprofessional at Post Falls High, said the students' progress can be measured by comparing how long the job took them when they started, as opposed to now.

"We're done 20 to 25 minutes sooner than when we first started," she said. "At the end of the year, there's hardly any questions asked. We brought them here to have work experience in the real world before they graduate."

Wheeler said the program is a win-win because part of the Legion's mission is developing youth.

"We give all kids equal opportunity," he said. "The majority of these kids won't go on to college, but they'll have the life skills to do something meaningful."

Some students, such as Klomp and Brett Rudd, will use their experience as a springboard after graduation to volunteer for Project Search at Kootenai Health. That program offers experience with duties such as cleaning, sorting mail, laundry and cafeteria work.

Wheeler said he misses the students during the summer when they aren't around the Legion.

"I've got to spend the next three months without these kids," Wheeler said. "That's one of the hardest things about retirement."