Knapp School & Yeshiva

Earth Month is celebrated nationally in April, but students at Knapp School & Yeshiva demonstrate they care about the environment throughout the entire school year. The school already had recycling services in place, as well as the means to compost, but the latter wasn’t organized in a productive way, said Troye Evers, who teaches students in the Transition Program.

On any given school day, Knapp School & Yeshiva students in Troye Evers’ transition program can be found working at a coffee shop, senior center, library or food pantry. Each experience is designed to help students gain confidence, independence, and the practical tools they will need for life after school.

Some Knapp School & Yeshiva students are getting a taste of working in the food service industry—right at their school. The school lunch cart operates twice a week, and six to eight students regularly help with everything from taking orders and shopping for ingredients, to cooking and delivering the food.

Knapp School & Yeshiva students have increased their confidence along with their creativity through participation in a drama program called Build A Play, offered by Northlight Theatre in Skokie.

Weekly interactions with a new furry friend have brought comfort, emotional support and motivation to elementary-aged students at Knapp School & Yeshiva.

For Jewish students at the Knapp School & Yeshiva, having Hebrew instruction incorporated into their daily curriculum creates opportunities for social, emotional, academic and Jewish success.

Knapp School & Yeshiva serves students from kindergarten through grade 12+, and its safe, supportive learning environment and small class sizes are geared toward students who have not succeeded in other educational settings.

To promote the development of employment skills in a supportive environment, the Student Work Program at Knapp School & Yeshiva provides students in grades 6-12 with supervised work experiences in the school and at community work sites.

The Response for Teens outreach team took their talents to the Knapp School and Yeshiva recently to lead several workshops on Sexuality Education.

Carrie Patterson, Work Development and Transition Specialist at Knapp School, oversees job programming and skill development among students. To begin training students in practical employment skills in an easy and useful way, Carrie created School Grounds, a makeshift coffee shop within the school where students serve as volunteer baristas.