June, 2021
Career Pathways Newsletter
June 2021
Join us for the annual WBL Career Pathways Employer Engagement Webinar
EVERYONE is welcome to attend this FREE event to celebrate the end of the 2020-21 school year and kick off the 2021-22 school year. You will leave feeling inspired and receive a menu of options on how YOU can get involved for the upcoming school year. And don’t forget! You can become a Bear Pride Sponsor for WBL Career Pathways. Bear Pride Sponsors have supported students with additional career readiness costs like certifications, tools needed for programs of study, transportation costs, event planning, and much more. Thank you for your support in advance! Bear Pride Sponsors will be eligible to receive a BONUS prize during the event. Registration closes on July 15 at 11:59 PM. Registered participants will be entered to win prizes from local businesses (must be present to win). The webinar link will be sent after July 15.
REGISTER HERE
Support H2O for Life - Water Walk is on June 6!
Get inspired HERE. It's FREE! June 6 from 10 AM to 2 PM @ West Park (2350 11th St. WBL).
REGISTER HERE. DONATE HERE.
2021-22 Anchor Program Mentors Announced
We are pleased to announce the following students have been selected as the 2021-22 Anchor Program Mentors. With nearly 70 applicants, it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to 28 students for the first round of training in August 2021. The high school students will be matched with a middle school mentee during the school year to have fun, make new friends, and provide academic, social, and emotional support. Aaron Turner will be leading the students during the academic school year and all selected mentors will receive training in August to prepare them for the upcoming experience. Students who were not selected for the first round of training will be considered for the next round.
Congratulations to the following students: Alfia Zahir, Aliyah Hamlin, Annelise Daniels, Anthony Sabatine, Anthony Turner, Anya Krzoska, Bemnet Tessema, Carter Wippler, Ian Cochran, Isaac Yarbrough, Jenna Newpower, Jordyn Meyer, Julia Covert, Kafiya Ahmed, Karolis Kairys, Kathryn Twist, Khushi Bhakta, Kylie Petty, Lauren Collier, Lourdes Marquez-Ortega, Melanie McCullough, Nadia Yang, Najma Darwish, Reina Yates, Rylee Jungmann, Samantha Perez, Sami Zahradka, Sofia England, Sofia Prado, Vinny Norton, Wonser Mongrue, Xiaoyun Liang, and Zach Khan.
Graduate Spotlight
Meet 2020 Graduate, Connor Smeed who is currently working with Business Career Pathway Industry Partner Beecroft Marketing & Events. Connor took a variety of Business Career Pathway courses that prepared him for the position such as Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Smeed said, “each class provided the thought processes needed in the industry. Business & Entrepreneurship taught me how important making contacts was because I have learned that it’s more often not what you know; it’s who you know. The marketing class taught me the basics of the industry. Personal Finance was also super helpful because if it wasn’t for that I would not have this internship and be thousands of dollars in debt.”
Connor plans to go to Century College in the fall and then transfer to the University of Minnesota. His plans for the future also include getting more qualified, building relationships, and continuing to learn while growing in the area of Marketing. “I have a goal of having my own Marketing Agency by the time I am 30 years old.” Way to go Connor and thanks to Lisa Beecroft of Beecroft Marketing & Events for supporting our Business Career Pathway at WBLAS.
The Peace Garden is Here!
After decades of being vacant and an eyesore, the Peace Garden is finally here! For those of you following, Amy Donlin and the Environmental Club have been working tirelessly to revitalize the empty outdoor space near the 600s hallway into a sustainable outdoor classroom for students and staff to enjoy for the upcoming school year. We are thrilled to announce that over 240+ native perennials were planted this spring along with solar lights, a compost bin, and a walking path. Be sure to walk by and check it out!
If you see any of these people, be sure to say thank you! Gary Lofquist and the WBLAHS - South Campus Maintenance Team for the endless support, Julie Hildestad for volunteering her Saturdays to help out, all the students who volunteered, the Environmental Club, and of course Amy Donlin who has dedicated hours and hours of her own time to lead the youth of tomorrow and embrace a sustainable lifestyle. Stay tuned for tables, chairs, and interpretative signage! This project was possible thanks to the Race2Reduce MN Department of Education Grant.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
WBL Career Pathways Featured in Teaching Today MN
Automotive Career Pathway Instructor, Derek Doescher, was recently featured in Teaching Today MN for his amazing work with Automotive Career Pathway students. Click HERE (pg. 17-18) to learn about his vision for the future and how he plans to work with MN DLI, local industry partnerships, and his innovative work to Train Tomorrow’s Technicians.
WBL Career Pathways Featured in MN Chamber Foundation's 5 Year Plan
WBL Career Pathways and the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Education Network (BEN) is committed to supporting our local businesses. Experiences like Teacher in the Workplace, Career Expos, and highlighting Career Pathways for students, are a few examples of how students at WBLAS can benefit from participating in WBL Career Pathways. You can read the full report HERE.
2021 Graduates Receive over $80,000 in Local Scholarships
Congratulations to the 60+ Seniors who received over $80,000 in local scholarships. Michael McGarthwaite and Julie Anderson organized the annual scholarship program and ceremony for Seniors. Thank you so much to all of our local employers, foundations, families, and organizations who continue to support WBLAHS students on their post-secondary journeys. Thank you for working together to shape the future. If you would like to offer a scholarship for the 2021-22 school year, email michael.mcgarthwaite@isd624.org.
Job Openings:
- WBLAS is looking for a HS Industrial Tech Teacher - 0.5 FTE.
- We are also looking for someone to teach IT Explorations and Programming Fundamentals - 0.5 FTE next year!
Thank You to:
- Ryan Moffitt and Celesta Hernandez from Walser Automotive Group for providing Employability Skills Training for our Auto Tech II students. We appreciate YOU and your time.
- Manley Gardening LLC for helping us order and organize the native perennial garden in the WBLAHS - South Campus Peace Garden. We could not have done it without you!