Many of us have had the privilege of tasting the delicious cookies that Mrs. Flynn’s class makes and sells. But what most kids don't know is how much Mrs. Flynn and her students do around the school. Last year I became a student aide for "The Gang," and it changed my life.

Not only do they have the coffee and cookie business, but they also have a laminating business and make deliveries around the school. A few of the students even work in the cafeteria during the day.

Outside of the school they take field trips once a week to Tall Woods Care Center. At Tall Woods they help fold laundry, work in the office, help in the kitchen, and help out with any other tasks that may need to be done.

All these businesses and jobs help the students socialize with others and also help get them ready for life outside of school once they graduate.

"The Gang" is constantly working on some project or another. For the Veterans Day program, they help get the auditorium ready for all of the veterans to come. They also make some sort of gift to hand out to our visitors. This year we made wooden American flag Christmas ornaments. The students worked very hard on them, to get the ornaments ready in time to hand out to the veterans. They are always working on cards and care packages for soldiers since they also run the "Home Town Hero" program.

With the opening of the new coffee shop in the library, members of "The Gang" have yet another job opportunity. Through out the day they send over one of the students and a student aide to work in the coffee shop. It gives the kids more of a chance to meet other students, who may not see them during their many jobs at the school.

It seems that each year "The Gang" gets more student aides. It really is a valuable class to be a part of.

They do so much for our school and many of us don't even realize it. I know that I didn't know how much they do until I became a student aide. And if you can't be a student aide but want to work with "The Gang," you can always visit Mrs. Flynn and find out about other opportunities like "Central Buddies," and much more.