With students adapting to their new schedules at the building for the year, some are adapting to it while at their workplace. The work experience class allows students to balance the schedules of school life and work life on a day to day basis.
Run by the work experience teacher, Matthew Dumm, the class consists of juniors and seniors who are able to leave midway through the school day to transition into their workday with few requirements.
“It’s designed for students to do volunteer work or work in actual jobs that, at minimum, would cover the amount of time that they would be in class,” Dumm said. “They also have to respond to me on Google Classroom by giving their hours to me. I do spot checks and make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be, phone calls, emails and they’re responsible for doing a weekly reflection of what was going on at work such as negative and positive things learned.”
Students must have at least ten hours of work for the week to be able to participate in the class. If students need any help, Dumm’s work experience secretary and educational support professional Emily Colledge is available to assist students as needed.
“I assist him in anything he needs, whether it be class lists, helping students with applications, finding jobs or anything that we can work out together,” Colledge said.
Applications are available to be filled out in the spring to prepare for the next school year.
Junior David Delfosse has been working at Thompson Pharmacy for two months since transitioning to a different job.
“My experience has been really good, and I really enjoy my new schedule which has made the hours at work feel worth it,” Delfosse said. “I chose to do this because I like doing new things, and I realized more hours at work would mean more money in the future.”
Work experience has allowed students to make goals within their workplace and in their own lives.
Senior Micah Nedimyer works at K&C Denture every morning and then proceeds to school.
“I have to get up really early because I have two periods of it, so I go into work around 5:30 a.m. everyday,” Nedimyer said. “I have been working on getting to bed earlier and getting more hours.”
Students have seen the benefits of getting more hours within their workplaces as well as the advantages with time management.
Senior Brandon Lyle works at Weis Markets and is on the cross country and track teams.
“I have gotten my schedule down to a science which has taught me to be more responsible and to get things done whenever I need to, along with going to practice and completing homework,” Lyle said.
Work experience allows for more balance between extracurricular activities and homework while also giving the opportunity to have a career outside of school.
“I love this program,” Colledge said. “It gives you more flexibility and I feel like it works as a reward for students that have worked very hard.”
