COEUR d'ALENE — Pies were slinging and the pizza man was singing the praises of his young helpers Tuesday morning at Wonder Crust Pizza in Coeur d'Alene.

"I love this so much," Wonder Crust partner/owner Nick Stafford said during one of his many trips back and forth to the kitchen. "It's so much fun."

Wonder Crust welcomed a small group of students in the Secondary Transition Education Program to make and serve pizzas as they explored the restaurant world.

"I think it's really amazing," said Elyssia Collett, who returned as a student mentor after participating with STEP at Wonder Crust last year.

"I came here to get a lot of work experience," she said. 

Originally from north London, Collett graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School in 2022. She said she has also tried her hand at pizza-making at Malvagio's Italian Trattoria through a STEP work experience.

"I came to this program to get my diploma so I could go to college, get a degree and get a career and make my parents really proud instead of letting them find a job for me," she said.

STEP is a program for students ages 18-21 with intellectual, developmental and multiple disabilities. Those in STEP have completed their high school programs and are refining skills such as independence and education as they work toward their futures in the workforce.

Led by program teacher Theo White with the Coeur d'Alene School District, STEP students participate in educational opportunities such as job training, weekly field trips, music, art, cooking and money management. Community professionals and employers also engage with the students as guest speakers during classroom visits.

"We're making pizza, cheese pizza, cheese bread," said 2023 Coeur d'Alene High graduate AJ Navales, 19, whose favorite pizza is pepperoni and cheese. "We're going to the Dollar Tree on Thursday."

White said Wonder Crust was eager to bring in the students to provide them with a behind-the-scenes look at running a pizza restaurant.

"It was pretty sweet," White said. "They just turned it over to us."

Some students will participate in another high school transition program, Project SEARCH, while others are working on acquiring their driver's licenses and otherwise building their life skills.

"This is the last stop before the real world for this group," White said. "The goal is to get them a job or at least something in place after our program."

He said he is thankful to local businesses like Wonder Crust, Malvagio's and the Village Bakery for partnering with STEP to offer workforce training.

Collett served bus driver Curtis Deming and aide Dusty Teague a roasted chicken pizza. Teague has two children with special needs. One went through STEP and the other is currently a Project SEARCH intern.

"I think it's awesome," Teague said. "They need more places to do this hands-on stuff."

This was Deming's first time sitting in on a STEP work session.

"It's great the business owners will open up their business like this and let them experience that part of life," he said.

This was the third time Wonder Crust hosted STEP students.

"I'm absolutely honored and privileged to be able to do this for these kids," Stafford said.

Each STEP experience depends on the day and the business. White said students who are into cars might get to experience auto shop work while others explore service and retail.

"Macy's three years ago had a student who did awesome," he said.

White said hopes are to connect STEP students with more businesses in the community to broaden their experiences as they prepare for the workforce. 

Email theodore.white@cdaschools.org for details.

    Karsyn Leffler, 19, sprinkles fresh cheese onto dough under the supervision of Wonder Crust Pizza partner/owner Nick Stafford during a Secondary Transition Education Program work session Tuesday morning at Wonder Crust Pizza in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    Say cheese! AJ Navales enjoys a work experience Tuesday morning at Wonder Crust Pizza in Coeur d'Alene.