As the school year closes, students say goodbye to their friends and teachers, settling in for a long awaited summer vacation. This year, students will say good bye forever to a long time Scituate High School educator, Mr. McCord.

Mr. McCord runs Scituate High School’s special education program. Students new to SHS might not know about this program. According to their mission statement, Scituate High School’s special education program is a complex program that caters to students who require extra support to help them achieve in school.These services may include, but are not limited to, specially designed instruction for academics, speech/language, occupational therapy, behavior, counseling, social skills, study skills and physical therapy.

Mr. McCord began his career in the Scituate school system twenty six years ago. He started at Gates, where he worked for eleven years in a language based learning program that he developed. McCord considers himself a “program” type of educator. He continued this philosophy when he moved to SHS in 1999.

McCord’s goal for students in his program is to prepare them for the future, what he calls “the world of work and independent living.”He puts much emphasis on making sure that graduates of the program leave with real world job experience. Students are given opportunites to work in businesses around the South Shore, including many of Scituate’s, but also other towns.

SHS’s special education program is known to be one of the best on the South Shore, and has been recognized by the state multiple times. McCord says that “this program is probably my greatest creation, and I am very proud of it.”, and he is happy to leave it in the capable hands of his multiple other staff members.

McCord also is grateful for the support that the town of Scituate has given his program. “Scituate community has been phenomenal.”  Whether it be small businesses giving opportunities for work, or organizations like C.O.R.S.E. helping support the program, he feels that the surrounding community has immensely supported his Special Education program.

McCord says that his plans for retirement might still involve working with elements of special education, but he is excited for what the new expanse of time will bring him.