The dark, ominous rumble of a school bus engine roars through town on the way to the Life Skills program’s weekly field trip to experience the community.

This program is offered to students with special disabilities who need extra help with things that common people often take advantage of, like taking care of themselves and communicating with others, according to Deborah Udelhofen.

Several places in the community that they have visited this semester are the Huntley Historical Society, Royal Oak Farm, the DMV to get state IDs, Khlem Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Rockford, Hampshire Farm Nursery, and Tom’s Farm Market.

They also go grocery shopping and, every Thursday, bake almost any recipe that the students want to make.

“Before the addition of the apartment, the only [food] we could make was anything zapped in the microwave or anything that didn’t need to be cooked,” said Udelhofen.

The addition of the apartment last year was great for the program. Students learn how to cook, clean, and do laundry. Each week, they wash towels for some of the athletic teams to learn how to be self-sufficient, according to Udelhofen.

This semester, students are learning to establish, edit, and create their own presentations with guidance from Kate Duchene in Digital hotography. Also this semester, students are learning about horticulture in Benjamin Bertselsman’s classroom.

The curriculum has incredibly improved since when Udelhofen started almost 7 years ago, but one thing has stayed the same. On Dec. 19, students are hosting a holiday party and inviting teachers from school and also Administration from district office. They work extra hard to create invitations, orderves, and decorations to celebrate their success so far said Udelhofen.

“It’s an event no one wants to miss,” said Udelhofen with a smile.