The Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education on Monday approved a work-based internship program for Great Bend High School students.
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, and the program was presented as part of a report by Lacy Wolters, GBHS ACT/career coordinator, and Assistant Principal Kip Wilson, CTE coordinator.
Wolters said CTE programs at GBHS allow students to explore careers and what life after high school might look like.
“They start with career awareness,” she said. That involves field trips and guest speakers. From there, they move on to career exploration such as job shadowing, where students watch prospective employers doing their jobs for a day or two. “And then the last piece is career preparation. This is where the internships fall into place.”
GBHS formally started its job shadowing program in 2017. Since its inception, more than 60 businesses inside Barton County – and a few in other counties – have participated in more than 250 “career shadows.”
“We found this to be very beneficial for our students as they select careers, and also for businesses,” Wolters said. “Some of these shadows actually turned into long-term employment where the student did very well and eventually was offered a job.
“We would like to do this continuing forward,” she continued. “But we’re seeing that our students need more exposure to a career than just a day and a half.”
This past summer, then-CTE Coordinator Randy Wetzel wrote a Perkins grant for the district. Thanks to that, Wolters said, GBHS is one of 25 schools in Kansas that are piloting a Worked Based Learning program.
“Through that program, we’ve had a lot of training this year,” Wolters said.
“Going forward, what we would like to do is add in those internships this year and then eventually work with the county to add in some apprenticeships – those are more long-term opportunities for our students.”
The internships will be added to the GBHS pathway programs. Wolters explained that the state of Kansas has developed areas or groupings of jobs with similar skill sets and created career pathways for jobs that are in demand. GBHS offers 13 pathways; each has is a series of classes that students take starting their sophomore year. The pathways have an introductory level, a technical level and an application level.
The application level, in a student’s senior year, is where the internships will be added.
“It can be paid or unpaid,” she said, adding students can earn high school credit during their internship experience.
The program follows some formal guidance from the state. Students can’t intern with a family member, for example. Their program of study will follow a written plan.
School board member Chad Burroughs, who works for the Great Bend Fire Department, praised the idea. He said students have occasionally done job shadowing at the fire department, but because each day is different for firefighters the students haven’t gotten a clear picture of the job in that brief period. “I like the idea of having them come on multiple days,” he said.
Contributions and grant applications
In other business, the school board approved several contributions and one grant application:
• Perfect Attendance Bicycle Giveaway Program
Local patrons supporting a Perfect Attendance Bicycle Giveaway program will again donate bicycles to each elementary school for perfect attendance incentives. Eligible students having perfect attendance throughout the year will have their names placed in drawings for the bikes.
Karen Shaner and Jane Isern, representing all donors, requested permission to continue the bike giveaway program. This will be the 10th year for this program’s donation.
• Lincoln Elementary received $408.16 from Kroger.
• Riley Elementary received $292.79 from Kroger.
• Sales of T-shirts by the GBHS softball team resulted in a $567.24 rebate from the vender, Factory 233.
• Great Bend Middle received a $50 anonymous contribution for the MTSS Intervention Recognition.
• The GBHS Panther Pantry received a $120 donation from Prince of Peace Catholic Church.
• Jefferson Principal Adam Niedens received approval to apply for a OneOk public school grant that funds up to $5,000. The grant would provide opportunities to cultivate and enhance relationships with community leaders while working together to improve public education.
