SISD School to Work Newsletter
May 2021 Issue #3
What's New
Covenant Summer Project
Programs and Services
Pre-ETS (Pre-Employment Transition Services)
In Saginaw County, over 400 students have participated in Pre-ETS since the 2016-2017 school year.
STW Job Readiness
In the Spotlight
Theresa Hausbeck- Teacher Heritage High School
Theresa Hausbeck has been employed with Saginaw Township Community Schools for 30 years. She
has always been an advocate for teaching her freshman students pre-employment skills. With the help
of Terri Haswell and Pat Bray, her students are taught work readiness skills with the ultimate goal of
gaining actual work experience through summer employment while earning minimum wage.
With the School to Work program, her students learn employability skills that are necessary
for any job and also learn how to interact with employees and co-workers.
Ultimately, her students experience a boost in self-confidence through success at both
school and work.
“Many of the young adults graduating from Heritage High School are better equipped with
the skills they need to perform the jobs our modern competitive economy is creating. It
excites me to see how we have meshed together a very successful and integrated school to
work opportunity for our freshman students.”
Theresa enjoys spending the summer months in Frankfort fishing and boating on Lake
Michigan.
Erin Fowler- Student
Deb Van Benschoten- STW Staff Member
With over 39 years’ experience in education, Deb van Benschoten is a seasoned veteran. She has dedicated her teaching career to working with Saginaw County students. For the past 15 years, she has served as shared staff between the Saginaw ISD and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. In this role, she has helped students to prepare for, secure, and find success in employment. She also works with students to help them develop plans to move forward with career goals after graduation. When asked about her favorite part of her job, Deb replied, “There is nothing more gratifying than seeing students build their confidence, and experience success in employment as well as other areas of their lives.”
Deb obtained her bachelor’s degree from MSU, with endorsements to teach K-12 Emotionally Impaired or K-8 General Education students. She continued her education at MSU and earned a master’s degree in Curriculum in Education and Teaching. Over the years, Deb has taught elementary, middle and high school level students. She also enjoyed seven years of teaching at the Holland Education Program for adolescents with severe emotional impairments.
Over her career, she has been able to work with countless amazing students, staff, and families. Deb has also had the support of family and friends. She raised two children and has two awesome grandkids, ages 2 and 5. Along with being the featured STW staff for this month’s newsletter, Deb and her husband Mark will celebrate their 40th anniversary this June.
HealthSource of Saginaw
Scott Basse is the Patient Service Manager at HealthSource Saginaw. In this leadership position, Scott oversees the day-to-day operations of the kitchen, as well as directing services for patients and managing performance of team members.
Throughout his 7-year career as a Patient Service Manager, Scott has personally overseen the hiring of over 15 students in his department. Scott says that he hires students from the School to Work program because he knows the type of experienced workers he will be getting, and it makes training much easier for him. When students are hired for a part-time position, they start at $11.61 an hour and are eligible for benefits after 90 days.
Scott believes in the School to Work mission, which is to guide students in gaining the skills necessary to make responsible decisions, and to lead independent, productive adult lives.
"We have an average of 2-3 students each year participate in the School to Work program,” Scott said. “We’ve hired approximately 15 students over the last 7 years; 8 are still working for us. The others have gone on to other jobs. Seniority dates range from a year to 7 years of service. It's a win/win situation for both the students and HealthSource.” Scott added, “The students are very loyal to HealthSource and many have become long term team members. This is a great honor for all of us at HealthSource”. In addition he stated, “To have this great School to Work program and employer relationship; we all agree that these students are our future and are willing to make a commitment to their future."
Thanks to Scott and his benevolent staff for continuing to give students invaluable opportunities for growth and success.
Resources
Disability Network
Disability Network has a strong partnership with the Saginaw ISD and the School to Work team. DNMM supports students who are receiving on the job training at various employers across Mid-Michigan, helps to coordinate job shadow experiences, provides work readiness training in schools throughout the county, and partners with the School to Work team to coordinate visits to post-secondary institutions.
Check out the link below for more information about this outstanding partner!
MTSA (Michigan Transition Services Association)
Click on the link below to learn more about MTSA, resources available for transition, and ways to get involved with the association!