The Mission of the Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program is to engage students in academic enrichment, socialization, independent living skills, and integrated work-based learning experiences.

Our Program

Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians, where two rivers converge, lies the oldest city in the State of Ohio, Marietta. Established in 1788, it was the first official American settlement territory north and west of the Ohio River. Marietta, also known as the "Riverboat Town," has had many significant impacts, since being established. Adding to this list is a one-of-a-kind educational program for students with Intellectual Disabilities.

The Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program, an award-winning, nationally recognized program, was created in 2014. In 2015, the Program won the Exemplary Program Award from the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES). The program was made possible by the cooperation of Warren Local Schools, Marietta College, and a $15,000 grant. This program provides an option for secondary students who wish to continue their educational services, after meeting the requirements to graduate. The Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program focuses on academic enrichment, socialization, independent living skills, and integrated Work-Based Learning Experiences (WBLE) that lead to gainful employment.

In its early stages, the program met on campus a few days a week. Since 2018, the program has grown into a full-day schedule. In 2019, Warren Local Schools took over the program's funding and provided educational staff and curriculum. Marietta College continues to support the program by offering space on its beautiful campus for the classroom. This partnership with Marietta College provides many unique experiences to the students who attend, one being college mentors.

Academics

The Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program focuses on engaging students in academic enrichment, socialization, independent living skills, and integrated work-based learning experiences. Much of what students learn revolves around the transition to adulthood. Important skills like learning to care for a home, how to create a daily and weekly routine, how to meal plan/prep, personal safety, and how to manage personal finances are some of the skills that are covered. Student's weekly routine includes academic time, socialization with college mentors, and practicing life skills. Academic time consists of activities and lessons geared towards student I.E.P. goals, money management, time management, functional reading, and social skills.

The Ohio Learning Standards-Extended is used as a guide in creating tasks, activities, lessons, and community experiences for this program. The Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program also utilizes evidence-based practices and curriculums to educate students in various areas.

Current curriculums being used include:

Attainment's:Aligning Life Skills to AcademicsExplore Personal CareSafety Skills ReaderFocus on FeelingsExplore Your CommunityLife Skills ReadersLiving on Your OwnExplore BudgetingTransitions Curriculum (James Stanfield):Personal ManagementCareer ManagementLife Managementn2y CurriculumNews2YouUnique Learning System

Cooking Activities

At the end of each month, students participate in a monthly meal-planning activity. Students break out into small groups, with each group planning a meal. The meals are then presented to the classroom, and students and staff vote on the order of the meals. This maps out the entire month's cooking activities.

Weekly, the classroom participates in a cooking activity utilizing the kitchen attached to the classroom. Students are responsible for planning and preparation of the meals. Students break out into small groups that consist of cooking stations and the grocery list. Students in the cooking station group are responsible for reading and reviewing the recipes or directions on the ingredients and then writing down step-by-step directions to cook the meal. Students in the grocery list group plan the following week's shopping list and compare lists between two stores. The student with the lower total cost typically "wins," and that is where the students shop. Students rotate every week between the groups.

Additionally, students practice their shopping skills during a shopping activity. This activity uses a pre-made grocery list, a chromebook, and a selected grocery store website. The student then searches for the identified items, writes down their amounts, then, uses money to display the cost of each item and their totals. This allows students to practice "cash skills," which is becoming an obsolete thing. When students shop, they utilize the school's credit card and bag their own groceries.

Town and Gown Program

Students who participate in the Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program will participate in attending Marietta College courses via the Town and Gown program. Pipeline students can review the college course offerings each semester. Students will attend one class per semester. It is not a guarantee that students will be able to attend the class they prefer, as class size is a factor when scheduling. Please click here to obtain a copy of the Town and Gown Application.

Internships

The goal of this program is for students to obtain gainful employment in their local community. An important part of this is work-based learning experiences. Partnerships with the local businesses, within the Marietta community, are essential to this program. Students are placed in various local businesses to explore careers, job opportunities, job shadowing, and work experiences at these locations. Students work on various skills, while at these businesses. The Pioneer Pipeline Transition Program utilizes the Ohio Department of Education documents to guide navigating these experiences. Resources can be found by clicking here and scrolling down to the Sample Resources section. We always seek additional partnerships to allow our students to explore their interests. Here is a current list of businesses we have partnered with. Please visit the Internship Reporting and Reflection pages for each student's perspective of these experiences!

Local Business Partnerships:

Marietta College Education Department
Marietta College Campus Police
Gilman Dinning Hall (Marietta College Campus)
Mailroom (Marietta College)
WCMO-TV
WCMO-FM
Jeremiah's Coffee House

Pio-Mentors

College mentors are a focal point of this program as they provide positive socialization and interactions with our students. Mentors assist with academic work, WBLEs, projects, social skills and most importantly, FUN! Mentors provide a positive social role and reinforce appropriate behaviors in our students. Some activities include playing cards, board games, eating lunch with students, or exploring the historic town of Marietta.

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