Columbia Falls High School is thinking big when it comes to expanding job skill opportunities for students in the special education program.

The high school has made strides this year in growing partnerships with Columbia Falls and Whitefish businesses to bring special education students into the workplace.

With employee shortages that have been ongoing issue in the valley, Whitefish-based Purple Frog Gardens owner Pam Gerwe teamed up with Columbia Falls High School special education teacher Carrie Lynn O’Reilly to brainstorm ways for special education students to learn job skills and make connections in the business community, while showing potential prospective employers what students with disabilities bring to the table.

“In special education all students in high school have to start working toward post-secondary goals; that’s federal law,” O’Reilly said, but noted there’s only so much that can be taught in the classroom. “Community-based education is more impactful than the classroom.”

Out of their brainstorming sessions came the Able Table, a 10-week pilot program at North Valley Food Bank.

Prior to Able Table, special education students volunteered at the food bank on Fridays, but because it’s such a busy day, tasks primarily were stocking and packing pantry items. Through Able Table, students began preparing and cooking meals for volunteers and community members on a weekly basis.

On March 11, the last day of Able Table, students prepared a final celebratory meal together at the food bank. The kitchen was bustling with activity. Students, volunteers and school staff talked and laughed while they washed and cut produce, mixed ingredients and cooked.

“I’m glad my kids get to experience what I experience here living in the Flathead Valley,” said parent Yvette Harty, who moved back to her hometown of Columbia Falls this year.

Her son Adam, a high school student with high-functioning autism, has enjoyed being part of Able Table.

“Well, my favorite part,” Adam said, pausing, “I get to cook. I like to cook.”

With a family member who works in construction, Adam plans to work in the field after graduation.

“I’ve been into construction and building stuff since I was really little,” he said. He also has aspirations to be an inventor or business owner.

COLUMBIA FALLS High School special education paraeducator Michael Downey noted the job shadowing program provides students with new interests they can pursue outside of school or home and potential job prospects. Students have gone to different job-shadow sites such as the front desk, maintenance and housekeeping departments of a lodge; alongside cooks and dishwashers in restaurants; in addition to stocking shelves or bagging groceries at stores, according to Downey, with business partners including Pursuit and Nite Owl, among others.

Real-world opportunity is what schools strive for in preparing high school students for college or career. O’Reilly sees adding more places where students can job-shadow as a crucial piece for teaching soft skills such as communication, teamwork and time management.

“The community members they meet, the social skills they learn, you cannot teach this in a classroom,” O’Reilly said.

As a small family farmer who produces for local restaurants, Gerwe sees the need for employees firsthand, especially in the summer.

“If we have a skilled workforce of young people and those people could be incorporated into the local restaurant movement, that would be great,” she said.

Gerwe became an advocate for working with adults and youth with disabilities after participating the Montana Care Farming program for the past six years. At, first she was reserved about participating, as time management is key on a production farm, but she learned to adapt over time with success.

“It is a little bit of extra work, but you know, we’re all in this community thing together and I feel like I’m a better person when I’m interacting with people who need me to slow down and that need me to explain things in a different way,” Gerwe said encouraging businesses to give the high school job shadowing initiative a try.

By partnering with the high school, staff members accompany students to sites and provide support. While giving students the support they need is a required priority, Gerwe said one of the goals of the job-shadowing program is changing preconceived notions and breaking barriers.

“People always think someone with a disability needs so much extra support. They don’t. They need a chance. They just need chances and opportunities,” O’Reilly said.

Whether a disability is physical or cognitive, as a special education teacher O’Reilly knows what her students are capable of and wants employers to know too.

“If you hear the word disability, but you don’t know what their abilities are, you don’t even know to hire them,” O’Reilly said.

THE BIG dream O’Reilly and Gerwe share is creating a business for students with disabilities to seek employment once they graduate. The pair has looked at what existing businesses models are out there with similar goals. One of those business models is the Butte-based food truck Dishability that operates through the Silver Bow Developmental Council.

“They have been using the food truck as a tool to introduce the community to this great population people that might not usually be as visible,” Gerwe said.

Another idea she said is opening a processing facility that takes in local produce and processes it for restaurants. The idea of a facility would be creating a flexible work environment to hire people who may not be able to find work in a traditional workplace setting.

“Our valley is starting to recognize there’s just some cool things that’s going to happen in our valley sooner or later for individuals with disabilities upon graduation, and in rural communities, that’s huge, that’s so important,” O’Reilly said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.