For 31 years, Rebecca Young has been helping special education students in the Gibraltar School District."It's been fun to see how we continue to progress in supporting the kids," Young said.The special education program is now seeing that progress firsthand.The department has received a $100,000 transition readiness grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The money will be put towards purchasing a vehicle to take kids to different job sites and community events. It will also help secondary school students gain experience working with different departments around the school along with local businesses and organizations.WATCH MIHIR SINHASAN'S FULL STORY: Gibraltar School District receives grant for special education program"I've got to be honest, it's overwhelming, because there are so many opportunities that can be provided," Young said on hearing about the $100,000 grant.Her students say they are excited about the opportunities."(I feel) happy," said seventh grader Jaxon Nelson, who uses a communication device."I think I'll get a future opportunity to have a big future for myself," eighth grader Liudas Vaicekauskas said.That ambition is exactly what pupil services director Christine Voigtlander hopes this grant will unlock."We want (them) to be able to build skills so they can advocate for themselves, so they can find meaningful work and find things that they're interested in," said Voigtlander, who applied for the grant.The additional $100,000 will help make that possible."Graduation doesn't need to be a cliff for our students," Voigtlander said. "This will be an opportunity to build the bridge for them. So, they can have a very successful adult life, as well as contributing to our community and making it better and stronger for all of us."Voigtlander says that some students have started working in departments within the school, and some will begin working with local businesses and organizations by next January. ...read more read less