Pearland ISD and CompuCycle program provides hands-on training for students in classroom and beyond
PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Before CompuCycle is called, and boxes of what used to be laptops are loaded onto a truck, work starts inside a classroom at Pearland ISD's transition center - a service that creates pathways to post-high school opportunities, such as employment, and builds independence for youth with disabilities.
With the precision of a surgeon, the students there are operating on systems using a screwdriver as their instrument to crack open computer casings, and every little bit counts.
"They're going to separate the actual hard drives, the ram, the memory and the batteries. They take the batteries, so we're going to make sure that they don't ignite. But then the rest of the material, also the scrap of the shell of the laptop or desktop computers we take," said Kelly Hess, CEO of CompuCycle. "We can give them a responsible and secure way to dispose of these materials, but also we can pay them, we pay them for the scrap value."
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"Our first paycheck that we received from them, it was, I think it's going to be a couple hundred dollars. And when we got it, it was more than that, and we all kind of went, 'What? Are you serious?' So it was very supportive in what the kids were doing," said Debbie Harris, Vocational Adjustment Coordinator for Pearland ISD.
It's part of the TechCycle program, where students get hands-on training dismantling electronics.
"To be able to have a program at a facility, at a school, have them trained... We knew that we could help set up the area to what they would need, provide them what materials they would need," Hess told ABC13.
The program has also given students the opportunity to take the lead.
"I like the fact that I get to learn new skills that I wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity to learn, such as the computers. Even though I want to work with animals, what I'm learning here can still help me with life," said student Elena Torres.
And that, Pearland ISD 18-plus teacher Shaun Mauer says, is the point.
"As far as everyone being able to do every job and everybody has a purpose, that is one of the best things that has come out of this," Mauer said. "They've learned how to work with each other. They've learned how to work under somebody. Like how do we talk to our supervisors, even knowing that one of the supervisors is another student."
"I've seen them grow. I've seen them become independent," Harris added. "And now, they are the people that are the leaders of the program, and they have that training."
Just as a central processing unit is the brains of a computer, Harris has been described not only as the mind behind what became TechCycle, but its heart.
The spark of inspiration came after a trip to a state conference that focuses on collaborative ways to support youth of all abilities as they move from high school to adulthood.
"About four years ago, I was attending a Texas Transition Conference, and there was a gentleman there that was speaking of a program that he had started and developed in Colorado. And after he talked about it and then gave us our examples, I thought, 'This is something that we could do here at Pearland ISD,'" Harris explained.
"We had students that had potential that a lot of people weren't seeing," she continued. "We knew that our students were more than capable of getting out and being in the community and doing programs and work."
After the person Harris spoke to connected the district with CompuCycle, Harris recalled going to Pearland ISD's technology department for older equipment to get started.
"Pearland has just had the vision to make this happen," Hess said. "We've tried in the past with different school districts, but no one has really taken the chance to really try to incorporate the whole program. And when I say successful, it's an understatement."
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Since the program began a year and a half ago, we're told classes have dismantled between 6,000 - 7,000 computers.
Students of all abilities are responsible for stacking and packing the computers - serving as an important link between a dismantled device and its journey to being recycled. Another key role for students is quality control.
When packaging is done, the boxes are ready to roll to CompuCycle.
"I know every little thing can count when helping the earth, and so I'm just glad I get to do my part," Torres said.
Added Hess, "I think when more people learn about this and see the abilities of these students and what we can do, I think it is truly going to be such an impact that we can make throughout the Houston community and beyond."
You can join in responsibly recycling electronics, too! ABC13's Earth Day E-Cycle Drive is Friday, April 24 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at CompuCycle on Kempwood Drive in northwest Houston.
