Career Pathways Newsletter

Want to Help Make a Difference this Holiday Season?

White Bear Lake Student Council is hosting their annual food drive to help support your local White Bear Lake Food Shelf. In past years, Student Council has worked tirelessly to engage the student body in order to collect the Food Shelf's biggest drop of the year. As many of you know this year has looked different for our students, and unfortunately Covid would not allow for our most well known events such as Trick or Canning, Food Drive at the Football Games, Penny Wars, etc. The Student Council is  asking you to help them hit their goal of $10,000 for the White Bear Lake Food Shelf. They need it now more than ever! You can be a part of helping your neighbors not go without this holiday season! For every $1 donated, the Food Shelf is able to purchase $8 in healthy groceries for your neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet! 

HOW DO I DONATE? Go to bit.ly/WBLFOODDRIVE & donate to the Go Fund Me or send a check to: White Bear Lake Student Council at 3551 McKnight Rd. N. White Bear Lake, MN 55110.

Greater Twin Cities United Way supports Mentor Program Internship

GTCUW has done it again by supporting our students who are ready to make a difference. This fall, WBLAS Career Pathways hired 8 Juniors & Seniors wishing to pursue a career in mental health services, education, healthcare, or another related field to create a Mentor Program for middle school students by high school students. Almost 50 applications were received! Congratulations to Aramide Adegoke (12), Saron Bekabil (12), Julia Covert (11), Jordyn Meyer (11), Jess Miller (11), Amanda Pendergast (12), Bemnet Tessema (11), and Alfia Zahir (11). These students will be working with WBLAS Career Pathways, Central Middle School, Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), and WBLAS Support Services to create a fabulous program with an anticipated start date of Fall 2021!

WBLAHS Graduate Highlight

Meet WBLAHS 2020 Graduate, Rebekah Anderson. Rebekah was an active Automotive Career Pathway student and is now the Shipping & Receiving Manager at St. Paul Harley Davidson. She has been with the company for about 3 months and is currently the youngest Shipping & Receiving Manager across the entire United States! Thanks to Harley Davidson's on-the-job skills training, Rebekah is currently going through KPA Training, HD University and DEFCON University. 

Rebekah added that “working with Mr. Doescher really helped me gain a lot of confidence in my auto knowledge and skill to be comfortable in the auto industry, and to be able to fix my truck when it breaks down. I also help out at my Stepdad’s business called Prior Performance that repairs, modifies, and builds custom motorcycles. Working at Harley Davidson is super fun, I have great people surrounding me and I learn cool new things everyday.” Way to go Rebekah!

Wilbert Plastic Services Makes a Difference

WBLAS Career Pathways is thrilled to partner with Wilbert Plastic Services. Wilbert Plastic Services has been a loyal partner in the Manufacturing & Engineering Career Pathway. In an effort to address the workforce demand in their Assembling Department, Wilbert Plastic Services created a 20-hour, part-time Assembler position for high school students. Not only does the job work around a student’s school schedule, it also provides a family sustaining wage, on-the-job training, and a quality resume builder for students interested in the wide world of Manufacturing & Engineering. 

WBLAHS Junior, Tyler Thinesen (orange sweatshirt) said he loves working at Wilbert Plastic Services. “I get to work inside the company and see how products are made and how things work inside and out. After I leave the United States Army, I hope to one day own my own Manufacturing Company. This experience will help me reach my goals, learn new skills, and help me decide what route I want to go in Manufacturing.”

To date, over a dozen students have been hired and the number is growing. All students regardless of their academic ability or postsecondary plans are valued. At WBLAS, we want students to find their purpose, become productive citizens, and see why education matters. This innovative, yet simple workforce solution is an example of how local industry partners like Wilbert Plastic Services are partnering with local school districts like WBLAS to work together to shape the future. Congratulations to Juan Arias, Evan Combs, Hunter Doherty, Tyler Long, Joseph Schrankler, Dylan Scott,  Brad Starry, Grant Stejskal, Austin Stickler, Nick Svir, Isaac Theissen, and Tyler Thinesen.

Learn2Build Kits for Distance Learning

Thanks to Construction Careers Foundation and Learn2Build for the at-home construction kits. Photos are coming in and we love seeing what students are making at home. CTE Teacher, Dan Rossiter has been working with students in-person, hybrid, and distance since spring 2020. Thank you to Dan and all the teachers who work around the clock to make learning fun and relevant even during the most difficult times.

CONGRATULATIONS to

• Katie Marsh for being the first person to be featured on the WBLAS Podcast! Check out her inspirational work by listening to Episode 1. Marsh is a Health Educator at South Campus whose certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid has given insights on how we might support students and families during the pandemic.
• Michael McGarthwaite for receiving the 2020 Rising Star Award from Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation. Check out his speech HERE (minute 7:20ish). 
• Dr. Wayne Kazmierczak is the 2021 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year!

THANK YOU to

• MNCars & Judell Anderson which has been a “driving force” behind helping the Automotive Career Pathway receive so many donations.
• Tyler Van Eps of Lube-Tech for donating 4 cases of engine oil and 24 cases of wheel weights.
• Dave Bock of Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc. for 5 Bosch Multimeters.

ARE YOU STILL HIRING?

Send jennifer.moore@isd624.org your job description today!