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Newton, Kan. By Jeff Guy http://www.thekansan.com/article/20131023/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/131029733/0/NEWS Newton Kansan HALSTEAD - When Konner Garnett first meets you, he may touch your arm or start to give you a hug. If a family member like his sister, Kacy, is around, she will remind Konner to shake hands the way he has learned in his job skills classes. The 21-year-old Konner is quick to recite the various skills and rules he has learned through his jobs at Newton Medical Center and Halstead Health and Rehabilitative Serives. He placed the palms of his hands up to demonstrate how he serves plates in the cafeteria, holding them "on the bottom." "Wash your hands," he said emphatically and ran down the many occasions for handwashing on his job. After touching food, taking out the trash, wiping down tables... "When you touch your shoes," he said, lifting his black tennis shoe from the floor for emphasis, while sitting on the couch of the home he shares with his parents in Halstead. Konner Garnett stands outside his home in Halstead, wearing his work shirt and name tag.Lisa Jolliff worked with Konner through a program called Project Search, which helps young people with developmental disabilities make the transition from high school to the job market. She said "there were a lot of people who were skeptical of whether he had the work skills." A couple of years ago, Konner's mother, Theresa Garnett, would not have thought he could work without constant supervision. However, when the opportunity came for Konner to learn job skills, she and her husband, Stan, encouraged him and set their expectations high. Konner then went on to distinguish himself, working in maintenance, dietary and housekeeping for NMC. "He showed amazing skill and he was so eager to learn," Jolliff said. "He loved working out there, it showed. He wanted to do a great job. He worked hard." Theresa said Konner's job at NMC "was a whole different level for him. He showed some independence that we didn't know for sure he had." Konner's work at the hospital was part of a year-long internship and job training program through Project Search. During his final year of high school, he spent one hour in the classroom, worked from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at NMC and spent the last hour back in the classroom where job coaches helped him with things like building a resume and running through mock job interviews. After graduating from high school and job training, Konner was hired to work in the cafetria at Halstead Health and Rehabilitative Services. His mother, a physical therapy assistant, works there also, but on a different shift. She feels that is a good thing. "He sees having a job as part of being a grown-up," Theresa said. "He's very proud of his job." Read more: http://www.thekansan.com/article/20131023/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/131029733/0/NEWS#ixzz2ivOYthQl