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Anold students take classroom to business world |
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Friday, 21 December 2007 |
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By MICHELLE ZLOMKE
Chief features editor
ARNOLD -- A $65,000 grant will boost an already successful school-based business in Arnold.
School House Graphic Products, a signage and lettering business that is part of the curriculum at Arnold High School, will now be able to operate during summer months, thanks to the grant. Instructors Clay and Julie Mohr learned of the grant last week. The funds are part of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Career Education Partnership Act (CEPA). The money will be released next month.
April Mills, a junior, is the general manager of the business this year. She said the business offers unique opportunities most school experiences don’t provide.
“This is probably the busiest class,” Mills said. “You’re always trying to get things done. It helps you be really organized and that helps in your other classes.”
Business manager Shandell Gunther said School House Graphic, where participants work during the first period of the school day, prepares students for the future in a way that other classes can’t.
“Sometimes, we take it for granted,” Gunther said. “Then you realize the job experience you’re getting. You can use this experience anywhere.”
Julie Mohr, the school’s art instructor agreed.
“If you don’t get your homework don, you get a zero and it doesn’t affect anyone else,” she said. “Here, if you don’t get your work done, you have an unhappy customer and an unhappy team.”
Additionally, she said, the students learn how to apply the information they have learned in other academic areas.
“It’s using all the academic skills,” she said. “But until you show somebody how to use it, they’re going to wonder why they need to learn it.”
That team works together to create signs for businesses and organizations and lettering on vehicles. They are now working on a contract to make the new road signs for Custer County’s rural intersections. They can also create laser-engraved pieces, such as plaques and small signs.
Each job begins with a meeting between the layout team and the customer. The team either develops the design and logo, or re-creates a customer’s existing logo and text.
From there, the job request goes to Gunther’s desk, where she creates the job estimate and begins the paper trail that will accompany the job.
Another team cuts the vinyl lettering based on the layout design, then applies the lettering to the subsurface, or directly to the vehicle or trailer that belongs to the customer.
Megan Strawler manages the business website and is responsible for marketing the business. She said that she enjoys showcasing the business for potential customers, and for other schools and organizations that are interested.
“I like taking all the pictures and advertising the work the students do because it’s something we can be so proud of,” Strawler said.
Clay Mohr said the business took in about $11,000 last year, just enough to cover production and supplies costs and keep equipment up to date.
Students do not earn wages, but instead earn grades based on job performance. They receive “paychecks” that indicate their performance earnings.
This summer, however, some of the students will have opportunity to earn money working at the business.
Mr. Mohr said the CEPA grant will pay instructional costs and expenses to keep the business open full-time for eight weeks beginning during the 2008 summer break.
The grant will also allow the school to open the program to other area youth. The program will also partner with Mid Plains Community College to help the staff earn college credit and learn about career opportunities, he said.
“Here, they’ll get skills you can not emulate in a regular classroom,” he said. “And these are the skills the industry wants.”
School House Graphics first entered business six years ago. Mr. Mohr said the base idea is the same, but the skills of the students and the technology available to them has greatly advanced in that time. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 December 2007 )
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Huskers.com
