Fashion design and sexual abuse prevention programs approved for Thornton Township high schools

As students in Thornton Township District 205 return for a new school year, the school board last week approved and updated programs to help them gain a variety of skills that will last beyond graduation.

New initiatives being implemented include an after-school streetwear design course and a sexual abuse prevention program.

Tony Ratliff, director of the district’s college and career partnerships and programs department, said District 205 already offers a fashion design program, but the after-school initiative will give special education students the opportunity to use the latest technologies to design their own clothing and accessories.

“As we provide these platforms of opportunity and success, I’ve often thought about a mixed population of our students who have access to this,” Ratliff said.

The Chicago-based Stitch Lab program is tasked with creating that space where students can have fun and learn about a potential career path, he said. The six-week program will complete eight cycles, beginning Oct. 1, and will offer 120 students the opportunity to enroll.

Ratliff said the program will be piloted at Thornridge High School in Dolton, but could be expanded with board approval. The district also purchased all the equipment students need to practice screen printing and embroidering T-shirts, hats and more, which Ratliff said he considers a great investment.

To improve student safety and prevent sexual exploitation, the board also approved a program for teachers, students and parents offered through La Rabida Children’s Hospital, said Brett Fickes, assistant director for curriculum and instruction.

“They teach kids about the dangers of human trafficking, internet safety – the whole spectrum that they offer,” Fickes said.

The board also expanded the Outlook Academy program, which gives 15- to 22-year-olds who did not complete high school the opportunity to dual-enroll with South Suburban College and District 205. The $54,000-per-year agreement is active through June 2028.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago is another organization that will be working with the district this year. The district has approved the program, which allows Thornton High School students to tutor elementary school students at no cost.

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