On October 17, Principal Jason Curtis and the entire Oconomowoc High School staff hosted the first ever Career, College, and Life Readiness Day. The high school is work hard, making intentional efforts to support the school's vision of having students Career, College, and Life Ready, they are doing this by providing authentic learning experiences to help student discover interests and passions.
Read a full story about this amazing day written by Rebecca Seymour for Conley Media and the Oconomowoc Enterprise.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Oconomowoc High School hosts first career, college, and life readiness day
By Rebecca Seymour
Special to Conley Media
OCONOMOWOC — With a strong commitment in providing rigorous and diverse programming, as well as authentic, real-life learning experiences to help students discover their own interests and passions, Oconomowoc High School held its first Career, College, and Life Readiness Day on Thursday.
In his monthly blog to students and their families, OHS Principal Jason Curtis stated he was excited how the daylong event would offer incredibly beneficial grade-level-specific opportunities to help students prepare for various post--secondary pathways. "This is shaping up to be an exciting day at OHS, and is just one way we will continue to help each 'Raccoon' become grounded in their values, committed to their purpose, and accountable to themselves and each other," wrote Curtis.
Jump-start to service
Nearly 400 freshmen participated in 15 different service learning projects, organized and facilitated by 25 OHS teachers and community members during the Career, College, and Life Readiness Day. "The purpose of the hands-on activities is to introduce our younger students to the concept of being engaged citizens by using their talents and interests to help others. We hope these types of experiences will inspire them to plan and lead future projects while they explore and discover their calling in life," explained Danielle Chaussee, OHS Spanish teacher.
Some examples of projects included writing letters to members of the military serving abroad, singing and dancing with Azura Memory Care residents, sewing reusable shopping bags (Boomerang Bags), trout stream habitat rehabilitation, making dog/cat toys for HAWS, friendship bracelets and card making for cancer patients through Tricia's Troops Cancer Connection, cleaning up nearby lawns for senior citizens, and much more.
Kristine Weiss teaches French at OHS and advised the students involved with transforming hundreds of donated cotton T-shirts into reusable diapers for families in Guatemala through the Divine Mercy Diaper Ministry.
"Today's service projects gave our students an opportunity to learn about ways they can help others. Volunteer work is also a crucial component of a student's resume, which is something we are encouraging our students to think about as they plan for their future," said Weiss.
During the last hour of the Jump-Start to Service day, freshmen gathered in the OHS fieldhouse to create a reflection piece and a presentation about the different service projects.
"Working on these service projects shows that we care about our world and the people in it. It's important to give back to our community," said Reese Irvine, 15.
Career and College visits
About 415 sophomore students, along with 40 OHS teachers and staff, took their dreams and career interests on the road as they boarded 10 buses heading to different destinations throughout Waukesha County, Milwaukee, Madison and Whitewater.
During the all-day field trip, each bus visited a combination of businesses, organizations, trade schools, colleges and university campuses, offering opportunities for students to explore a variety of career interests and possibilities.
Students were assigned to the buses with destinations that connect with a career cluster they expressed interest in, including health sciences, agriculture, government, business, finance, marketing, IT, education, creative arts, communications, architecture, construction, STEM, law, public service, military, hospitality, human services, and others.
Jackson Higbee, 15, was with the group of students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), that visited Milwaukee School of Engineering, Harley-Davidson and Hastings Air manufacturing plants.
"Today opened me up to opportunities that I didn't know I was interested in, and now I have a better understanding about it," said Jackson. "I'm so grateful I had the chance to do this as a sophomore so that I can really start to think about and plan for what I want to do when I graduate."
"We know that authentic experiences lend themselves to self-discovery and our focus is to help our students to connect their passions with who they want to be," said Kyla Stefan, school to career coordinator at OHS. "It's never too early for our students to start thinking about their pathway during high school and where it might lead them beyond their time here."
Practice ACT exam
In preparation for their ACT exam on March 3, OHS juniors took a practice exam during the school-wide Career, College, and Life Readiness Day. The ACT exam assesses student readiness for college-level work in the areas of reading, English, math, science, and writing.
School staff will use the data from the test results to create a personalized ACT preparation program for each junior. In early December, students will be assigned to an ACT study group led by a mentor teacher.
Students can sign up for subject area seminars (taught by teachers), dig into test-taking strategies, and work through ACT practice exercises through a computer-based program called Method Test Prep.
"This practice exam helps our students to focus their energy on areas that need improvement. They'll have the opportunity to work together in a group of 15 to 20 students twice a week with a mentor who can track progress, and help them to build up their skills," explained Stefan.
Grounded, committed and accountable
During the Career, College, and Life Readiness Day, OHS seniors were encouraged to work on post-high-school transition opportunities, including college visits, arranging for a job shadow, or working on applications for financial aid, scholarships and college admissions. Some seniors chose to help the freshmen with their service projects.
Planning for Thursday's activities started last March with a building leadership team made up of 20 teachers.
"Our goal was to impact as many kids as possible. We're not here to prepare our students for something. We're here to prepare them for anything," said Stefan.
"This is why working in a high school is so rewarding. We have 704 days with these kids, and we have to do whatever it takes to prepare them to be able to navigate the unknown," added Curtis.
One of the projects included students transforming hundreds of donated cotton T-shirts into reusable diapers for families in Guatemala through the Divine Mercy Diaper Ministry. Pictured from left are Noah Kester, 14, Alex Kubly, 15, Madeline Bandomir, 14, OHS French teacher Kristine Weiss, Reese Irvine, 15, and Jack Bairo, 15, working on their project.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Seymour