The measure of a successful community goes well beyond the cost of living, economic forecasts and beautiful scenery. The future of any community is tied to the success of its schools and the quality and preparedness of the students who graduate. Whether it’s a family or a corporation looking into a community, strong schools are high on the list when people consider an area for relocation.
Community involvement is important to the success of any district. A strong relationship between the business community and the district allows students exposure to the business community and career choices as well as preparing students to become active participants in their community.
Do you hire high school students or recent graduates? Did you know you can request to see copies of a student’s attendance record as a reference material prior to hire?
Did you know that you can directly affect the quality of employees you hire before they apply? There are many ways for you as a community member to have an impact on the quality of students coming into the workforce. Were you aware that you have the ability to make sure that high school graduates coming into your field are equipped with the latest information and knowledge of cutting-edge trends?
The CK School District’s Career and Technical Education department has a number of programs you can become involved in.
Work-based learning provides students the opportunity to earn credits for on-the-job experience.
Internships. These non-paid positions afford students the chance to explore career possibilities by working at a site for a week, two weeks or longer. You choose the time period convenient for you.
Job Shadow. This program brings students into a workplace for a day or shorter period to get an idea of what transpires in a particular career area.
School service clubs such as DECA, Key Club, etc. provide students valuable leadership experience. Adult volunteers provide mentorship, assistance and more.
Career and Technical Trades Advisory committees assist faculty members with perhaps 10 hours a year of time toward making sure their curriculum meets current industry standards. These committees cover a wide variety of career and technical areas.
Most of these programs are only during the school year. If you would like more information about these programs or how you can get involved, call Career and Technical Education at (360) 662-1803.
Another program that provides opportunity to make a difference in developing life skills for young people is the Kitsap Youth Mentoring Consortium. The Consortium is an organization composed of local mentoring programs and interested community members. Their mission is to “improve the lives of children and youth in our community by fostering quality mentoring relationships through community-wide collaborative effort.” There are nearly 15 different community mentoring groups represented in the Consortium. If you’d like information on how you can make a difference, visit www.kitsapmentoring.org or call (360) 337-4878.
Congratulations to the 2008 graduates of the Central Kitsap School District! You are the future business leaders of our community, we look forward to the great things you will do. The Chamber also would like to congratulate the recipients of the Chamber/CK Kiwanis Vocational Technical Trade Scholarships; Brandon Salley from Central Kitsap High School, Chalynn Wheaton from Central Kitsap High School and Jennifer Marfut from Klahowya Secondary School.
Just a reminder, our monthly luncheons are open to the public, an excellent resource to network, and are an opportunity to get the latest information about issues affecting the community. Event information can always be found at www.silverdalechamber.com. Our weekly e-mail newsletter is available to anyone wishing to stay informed about the activities of the organization, send an e-mail to subscribe@silverdalechamber.com.
Until next month, shop Silverdale!
Darla Murker is the executive director of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce. She appears the third Saturday of the month in the CK Reporter.
