Project SEARCH partnership pays off for Lowndes County students
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A partnership among the Lowndes County School District, Columbus Air Force Base, and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services is paying off for some Lowndes County students.
Project SEARCH allows County students with special needs to spend their last year of school rotating through different jobs at Columbus Air Force Base.
The program is designed to teach them marketable job skills and how to handle work responsibilities.
Among Project SEARCH’s goals are helping students find their interests and land jobs.
“Everybody needs a chance, and what we want to do is to help these students, not only realize their own potential, but we want to build confidence in them, but also enable them to go out and be contributing members to society because they have a lot to offer,” said LCSD Superintendent Sam Allison.
“We would really like to see this grown over the state. You know, we have 22 sites so far. I think next year, we’re going to have 28. So, we really want to show people the success of this program, and really how it helps young individuals with disabilities identify their ultimate career goal,” said Executive Director of MDRS Billy Taylor.
Six students graduated from Lowndes County’s Project SEARCH program in 2024.
Project SEARCH started in Ohio, and has since expanded to 48 states.
