Area programs provide students with education for the ‘real’ world

Published 4:00 pm Sunday, November 21, 2010

High school students often claim they lose interest in school because their classes do not reflect the real world.  When these students graduate, they find their diplomas did not prepare them for the job market.

Discussions about what’s wrong in public education abound, with educators arguing the merits of test scores.  But one question has remained unanswered in American education for generations – and it has become a crucial concern.  Should public schools prepare students to earn a living?

Some people think so, especially employers.   Teachers, too, are focusing on the future and are training students to do real work.

“Every one of our classes prepares a student for college or a career, either one or the other,” said Marc Simmons, principal of Ilwaco Middle-High School. Taking a class merely for graduation credit doesn’t cut it anymore. 

“The day after graduation the student must ask himself, ‘What am I going to do now?'”

NNB Radio creates mentoring program

On the Oregon side of the Columbia River are the studios at NNB Radio in Warrenton. The general manager there has thought about how young people can acquire real skills. To that end, the station has designed a mentoring program to train high school students in broadcasting.

“We want to give kids the opportunity to come in and learn what we do,” said Tom Freel, VP and general manager.  “In the radio industry, some level of experience really helps get your foot in the door.  That’s how I got started.”

Freel speaks with a soft voice that grows passionate when he describes his new program, named HARP.

This concept is our baby entirely.” 

The “baby” is actually a business strategy to build a workforce.

Freel and his station producer, Collin McDonnell, brought together enthusiastic teenagers and are giving them valuable experience.

The students produce The Habitat & Angling Radio Program or called simply HARP.  The themes of the show mirror the area’s maritime commerce and its history.  The teenagers arrive at NNB three days a week from their respective Clatsop County high schools. This semester three senior girls make up the team.  They receive high school credit for their work.

“It’s hands-on from start to finish,” said Freel. “The kids actually do some high level stuff.  They’re doing interviews, they’re creating the programs and soon they’ll be editing their programs.”

Freel would like to hire them for the summer if they finish the program successfully.  

“I’d rather hire people locally, but our labor pool for this kind of business is low.  I see a trend in the industry where there is less and less opportunity for kids to learn broadcasting.”

Freel got hooked on radio when he was a youngster in Portland and was given a chance to help out at a local station. 

“That’s how I got my first job,” he said, “running the board for ball games.”

After a stint working in theater, he went on to learn his craft as a broadcaster. He’s worked at NNB since 1982 and continues to be a reporter on local politics.  He’s probably best known for his morning show on KAST.  What Tom Freel has learned over a lifetime in radio, he wants to share with students.

“This project really excites me,” he said, “And it’s way out of the box for commercial radio.”

New Northwest Broadcasters is the corporate umbrella for five local radio stations operating out of the Warrenton building. KAST Radio is its “heritage” station, the oldest continuous station having served the Columbia-Pacific region for 87 years.

With five stations to program and operate, Freel has job opportunities for trained broadcasters and technicians.

In the production studio one day the girls got ready for a live, three-way phone interview with a fisheries expert.  The students had researched the subject and prepared a script with questions.  The goal that session was to ask these questions in a conversational tone and not sound as if they were reading from a script. 

Their mentor, Collin McDonnell, was at the board to record the interview.   When it was over, McDonnell critiqued their performance.

“Interacting with people and asking questions wasn’t easy,” said seventeen year old Mackenzie Sutton. “It’s not easy now, but I’ll get better as time goes on.”

Her teammate, Dedrah Lewis from Warrenton High School, knows what she wants to get out of the program. 

“I plan to join the Air Force and specialize in radio,” she said. 

A recruiter told her if she acquired radio experience, she’d have a stronger chance at being accepted.  At first she was hesitant to sign up for HARP.  “But I thought,” she said, ‘it sounds cool, I’ll go for it.'” 

So far she has no regrets.

On the Long Beach Peninsula, a student-run enterprise program

In the Ocean Beach School District another program prepares students for careers.  Ilwaco Industries, a project steered by Principal Marc Simmons, exposes students to the realities of running a business.

“Anything that generates finances or wealth is called a student-run enterprise,” said Simmons.  “We want to bring career technical education out of the margins.”

The Ilwaco Industries classroom looks like a technical playground. In the corner stands a $20,000 Epilog Laser machine used for etching. The students earned half its cost from selling their products. 

At the center of the room is a silk screen press. There’s a professional embroidery machine, a color sublimation press which transfers images to polyester, ceramic or acrylic surfaces, several printers and a computer at every desk. 

The students are learning how to design and manufacture products.  They work with clients from the community who order various products: posters and banners and color designed mugs, tiles and color sublimation images for tee shirts. The students write up the orders and calculations. All revenue goes back into the program to buy more materials.

“This is a business,” said Simmons looking proudly around the room. “We want the kids to know they are doing real work.”

Ilwaco Industries is a three-year course. The program runs an hour a day, and any student in high school can sign up for it. 

The lack of regimentation makes it attractive to students who may have difficulty adapting to formal academic classes.

Ilwaco Industries has been modeled from information revealed in a report by the US Department of Labor (SCANS) recommending that students learn traditional competencies like reading, writing, problem solving and creative thinking along with practical skills which may lead to employment after graduation.

Artist Don Nisbett owns an art and graphics shop on Ilwaco’s waterfront.  He discovered color sublimation printing through working with the school.  He has since copied his art on tiles, mugs, and prints. 

“With our economy down, the one industry that’s still vital is tourism.  A tourist wants inexpensive, functional art,” said Nisbett. 

Students who graduate from Ilwaco industries, Nisbett believes, have the training to start up their own cottage industry using sublimation techniques.

“The kids are well trained in the program.  I’d actually hire one if I needed more help.”

A few of Ilwaco Industries’ students may find work upon graduation but most will continue their education and many will go on to college.  That’s alright with Marc Simmons.

“We’re in the education business. I want them to develop their portfolios so when they get to college, they’ll already have a foundation.”

Tom Freel at NNB radio may also see his HARP students go off to college.  He trained and mentored them, yet there’s a chance they will not come back.

“There’s no strings attached to this,” said Freel. “They don’t have to stay.  But there are three more people out there in Oregon who are going to be of value.”

But when asked how he’d feel if one of these young women returned to him with a broadcasting degree, his face brightened.

“Wouldn’t you love that!” he said.  “That’d be perfect.  That would be absolutely perfect.”