{"id":510,"date":"2013-04-29T13:03:25","date_gmt":"2013-04-29T13:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=510"},"modified":"2014-04-15T19:51:33","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T19:51:33","slug":"compass-keepers-club-drew-maddon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/compass-keepers-club-drew-maddon\/","title":{"rendered":"Compass Keepers Club: Drew Madden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"100_0768\"<\/a>When he graduates from Cox High School, Drew Madden knows exactly what professions he would like to pursue.<\/p>\n

A baker.<\/p>\n

A model.<\/p>\n

A business man.<\/p>\n

A guitarist devoted to Elvis Presley and rock n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n

But until that day arrives, Madden can brag about his stellar performance as one of a handful of high school students who cook, clean, stock inventory and ring up the cash register at the Laskin Road Caf\u00e9 -aptly located at the Laskin Road Annex of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. The Annex is the headquarters of the Office of Programs for Exceptional Children (OPEC) that includes, among other programs, the division\u2019s wide range of services for students requiring varying degrees of academic assistance to learn; students like Madden.<\/p>\n

He relishes his time at the Laskin caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love school,\u201d Madden said. \u201cI do my cooking here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depending on his school schedule, Madden spends two to three mornings a week working at the Caf\u00e9 after leaving Cox for half-a school day.\u00a0 When Madden enters the eatery, he first scans a large chalk board that outlines his duty assignments.\u00a0 On any given day, Madden could work with teammates or by himself baking cupcakes, assembling pizza boxes or keeping the cooking area clean. As he serves customers, he is under the guidance of educators who teach him to operate the site like a regular business operation. By doing so, he gains critical work skills that can prepare him for future employment, according to teacher Ron Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere at the Caf\u00e9 students are learning social and communication skills they can take to any job,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n

In addition to learning those skills, Madden\u2019s enthusiasm for work has exploded. According to those closest to him, working at the Annex has given Madden such confidence and self- esteem that he now feels like he can work anywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day when Drew gets home I ask him how his day was,\u201d said Drew\u2019s mother, Cathy Madden. \u201cOn work days, he always says \u2018It was a really great day!\u2019 When I ask him why his day was great, he says the Annex needs him because he does a great job there.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is an obvious sense of pride in her son, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we drive down Laskin Road, we have to slow down near the Annex because he has to point out to everyone that is where he works,\u201d Cathy Madden said. \u201cHe is so proud. When I told him I wanted to come in and see where he works he told me no because \u2018the Caf\u00e9 is only for hard workers and not for moms.\u2019 \u00a0He is very serious about his work.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he graduates from Cox, Drew Madden wants to open a bakery and attend college classes in cooking. He has three brothers and gets a lot of support from everyone about his job and his ideas about a career after graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to work,\u201d Madden said.<\/p>\n

Compass Keeper Q&A:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What is your favorite pastime?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love to play basketball and listen to my ipod. I also like to watch TV.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite type of music or song?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like rock and roll by Elvis and anything by Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n

What you do for fun with your three brothers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like to go to the movies with my dad and my brothers then go out for pizza. I like to go to the beach with my family.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite television show or movie?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite movies\u00a0are “Freaky Friday”, “Fun Size”\u00a0and all the\u00a0“Harry Potter”\u00a0movies. My favorite TV shows\u00a0are\u00a0“That 70’s Show”\u00a0and “Drake and Josh.”<\/p>\n

What do you think is your best quality?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like to tease people to make them laugh.<\/p>\n

*Do you know someone who should be featured as a Compass Keeper? Send your nomination to news@vbschools.com<\/a>.<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When he graduates from Cox High School, Drew Madden knows exactly what professions he would like to pursue. A baker. A model. A business man. A guitarist devoted to Elvis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1848,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions\/1848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}