Gallery • 8 Photos

By Steven Curto

With a look of accomplishment on his face, senior Zach Dixon holds the third place first division trophy the Jaguars won at the Job Olympics on Thursday, March 28.

The Jaguars placed third in the first division of the Special Education Job Olympics which took place at JCCC on Thursday, March 28.

The competitions at the event consisted of basic job skills done in a restaurant or office, for example.

Senior Matt Santaularia took part in the hosting competition and was “excited to compete.”

According to Special Education teacher Sara Evans, the students put in a lot of hard work to prepare themselves for these competitions.

“[Students] get their assignments in the fall and they start working on those jobs to get better at them so when they get to the competition, they’re doing really well,” Evans said.

The most memorable part of the day for Santaularia was the time he got to spend with friends.  

“My favorite part of the day was going to lunch with my friends,” Santaularia said.

A combination of Special Education students and Peers in Learning members attended the event. Certain peers were selected to attend the event based on their involvement in practices for the event.

“Peers were chosen basically by the peers that actually work with our students during practice,” Evans said. “We try to send those [peers] because they’ve been practicing with [students] during those practice sessions so they get to go see how the kids do.”

The school did well in the event with all students earning ribbons, many earning medals and the school as a whole placing third overall. Evans was proud of the school’s performance.

“The most memorable part [of the event] was having our students do well, not only in their events but just handling themselves because it’s a lot of students, a lot of people and a lot of bodies which can be overwhelming,” Evans said. “I thought that Mill Valley students in general did a really good job handling themselves.”

According to Evans, the school plans to continue participating in the event because it benefits and motivates the students.

“I think it’s a very great experience for the kids,” Evans said. “They set goals, want to win ribbons, want to learn more tasks so they keep participating in it for that.”