Thought Bubble | Work study provides flexibility to senior schedules

A common problem amongst seniors at Wabaunsee is the struggle to fill their schedule, but there is a solution to this problem. As nine seniors have elected to do this semester, there is an option to take time during the school day to go work at real-world jobs. 

This opportunity is provided in the form of the Work Study program. The nine seniors taking advantage of this are Henry Heigert, Jackson Havenstein, Madison Schurle, and Caden Yonke in the morning, then Jacob Daley, CJ Glotzbach, Kyndal Maike, Eli McDaniel, and Sarah Vanstory in the afternoon.

School counselor Kevin Sullivan is in charge of the work study program. He said “the experience for teenagers is invaluable. I view it as a capstone for all that we promote here at school and gives those folks a chance to put that into practice.” High school is all about preparing students for the adult world and the work study program gives students a jumpstart into that world. 

We are only a few days into the semester, but some of our students are already reaping the benefits from work study. Caden Yonke works at a beef cattle ranch and said “work study has been awesome because I get that extra money to help pay for college. I also enjoy doing it because I learn a lot about farming and stuff because it will help me out when I become a game warden.” 

Henry Heigert works on his family farm in the morning and said “It has taught me management skills and record keeping.” Those two gentlemen are currently working jobs that will benefit them in their future careers but some students are just working jobs that will give them personal and social experience.

Jacob Daley and Kyndal Maike currently work at the Alma Creamery. When asked about his job, Jacob said he did “cheese.” He works in the factory section and Kyndal works in retail. Neither of them have any plans to pursue cheese as a career but they find their work studies beneficial nonetheless.

Eli McDaniel takes the last two hours of his day to work at Subway. He said “I enjoy work study. It’s a nice way to get out of unnecessary classes while doing something worthwhile. I get to make money while also learning social skills. It’s better than anything this school could give me.”

I think our work study program is a great opportunity for seniors because it allows them to spend their free hours doing something that will be beneficial to their lives. Spending hours a day sitting in study halls on their phones doesn’t help students in any shape or form. A limited schedule is one of the woes of our small school but things like the work study program do a really great job at presenting good alternatives to students.

Work study students this semester

Jackson Havenstein: J&J Construction

Henry Heigert: Heigert Farm & Ranch

Madison Schurle: Stoneybrooke Retirement Center

Caden Yonke: Winston Amick Beef Cattle Ranch

Jacob Daley: Alma Creamery

CJ Glotzbach: Maple Hill Subway

Kyndal Maike: Alma Creamery

Eli McDaniel: Maple Hill Subway

Sarah Vanstory: St. Marys Manor