Jonathan Kelly often ventured into the woods behind his Jefferson Hills home as a child and began to clean.

The glass and antiques he found were brought home and placed in his family's recycling bins so deer — and any bears he imagined might live in the wild — wouldn't be harmed by the debris.

“I didn't want them to get hurt,” he said.

Jonathan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 3 years old. His symptoms include being obsessive-compulsive, a need for order and always studying and investigating things.

Now 20, Jonathan has put his passion for precision to use as a member of the summer cleaning crew in the West Jefferson Hills School District, where he interned this spring in a program created just for him. He received his diploma in June.

Students receiving special education services are eligible to attend school and receive services until they're 21 years old. The focus when they're older often is on transitioning into the “real world,” said Elizabeth Wheat, the district's supervisor of special education/pupil personnel and acting superintendent.

“We want to make sure that by the time they get their West Jefferson Hills School District diploma, they are well-prepared for whatever is next,” she said.

Jonathan walked with his class for graduation in 2015, but stayed on in West Jefferson Hills for the 2015-16 school year to receive additional services.

When planning for his future, Jonathan, who received intensive in-home therapy as a child and had the support of paraprofessionals throughout school while attending mostly mainstream classes, met with his individualized education program team to go over his goals for his future.

His career goal is to be a custodian at the new Thomas Jefferson High School, a $100 million building under construction and set to open in the summer of 2018.

So, he went through the indoor/outdoor maintenance certificate program at Community College of Allegheny County's North Campus for experience.

With his desire to work in the district in the future, Wheat and Ryan Snodgrass, director of facilities, created an internship at Jefferson Elementary that kept Jonathan in the district, where he also has added support, she said.

“We were extremely happy to do it, not only for any student, but for one of our own TJ guys,” Snodgrass said. “He did a great job.”

Jonathan spent several weeks sweeping the halls and cleaning the kindergarten classrooms and cafeteria. He helped fix broken appliances and a basketball hoop. His favorite job, though, was running the floor sweeper.

“It's like driving a car,” he said, mentioning something he has yet to do.

On the job, he learned a lot.

“I learned never yell on a job, only at home,” Jonathan said.

He also learned to use the equipment and uncovered things he said likely had been hidden or tossed away in the school years ago.

Jonathan was “a great addition to the staff,” Snodgrass said. Yet he was also their “toughest critic.”

“It also helped our staff say, ‘Maybe we do have to relook at the way we're doing this a little bit,'” Snodgrass said.

Jonathan helped the maintenance and custodial staff remember that the focus needs to be on the students, Snodgrass said.

After Jonathan graduated, he was hired by the district as one of 30 summer cleaning-crew members. Still, he can't wait for the new high school to be finished so he can start cleaning there.

Walking around Thomas Jefferson, Jonathan carries a set of blueprints for the new high school and asks questions about possible additions and security.

He attended a community construction committee meeting to voice his concerns.

He main focus: to make sure the current high school is preserved.

“Salvage everything,” Jonathan said.

“No, you're not taking it all home,” his mom, Angela, reminded him.

In West Jefferson Hills, Jonathan learned “how to interact with other people in real life, on the job, how to be a productive member of society and (to) give back,” his mom said. “With the right kind of supervisor and management, he can really blossom.”

Jonathan will stay on as a substitute for custodial services in the district. There are no openings.

“My idea is that Jonathan is part of this family and we're going to keep him,” Snodgrass said.

Stephanie Hacke is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-388-5818 or shacke@tribweb.com.

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