Meet Heather
Heather of Heather’s Old Skool Village is a young woman who has Down syndrome. When Heather entered ninth grade at Lake Worth High School, she met her Life Skills teacher, Ms. Brenda Ornelas. A strong rapport developed between the two. Eventually Heather, whose mother had previously removed herself from the family, came to think of Ms. Ornelas as her new mother. Heather even decided she wanted to be a teacher just like her “mother.”
When Ms. Ornelas retired from teaching, she moved forward with a plan to help Heather achieve her goal of becoming a teacher. Property was purchased and renovations made. In fall 2015, Heather’s Old Skool Village opened its doors with Ms. Ornelas and Heather as teachers.
In addition to welcoming new “students” to her Skool, Heather also sits as an honorary member of the Board of Directors. In this capacity she provides a perspective for the special needs population in the governing process. Heather also has a paying job at a local Holiday Inn.
We are honored to have this amazing young woman as the inspiration for Heather’s Old Skool Village.