New Cassville student organization travels to nation’s capital
The Cassville JAG group as they take a break from their sight-seeing schedule to snap a photo together in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Pictured above, from left to right: chaperone Mandy Boone, students Tayler McCullah, Lauren Cornett, Dylan Renkoski, Jaccob Houskeeper and JAG adviser Nathan Fortner.
January 15, 2020
Vinnie Roberts
Last month, one of Cassville’s newest programs, Jobs for American Graduates (JAG), sent a group of representatives to their first ever conference in Washington, D.C.
JAG is a nationwide program that focuses on giving students life skills to find employment after high school, regardless of their post-secondary education status. The group meets once monthly where they are treated to a lesson in employability by a guest speaker who imparts wisdom about the reality of the job market and what constitutes skills that makes them a good hire in their prospective fields.
“It’s a program that teaches kids about employability and life skills,” explained Cassville High School teacher and JAG adviser Nathan Fortner. “It’s designed to help students be successful after high school.”
The club teaches students skills that are often introduced at the high school level but are often not elaborated on in a complex way.
“JAG has taught us how to do interviews and write resumes and cover letters,” said student and JAG member Jaccob Houskeeper.
According to one student who is already employed, the program has not only taught her skills that helped her in her current position but could also transfer out into future employment.
“I already have a part-time job, but eventually I’m going to have a full-time job, and this group has given me the skills that I need to make that easy for me,” explained Tayler McCullah.
Annually, representatives from each chapter meet in Washington, D.C., to come together and, instead of learning from speakers, learn from each other.
“This trip is a yearly trip for the program,” explained Fortner. “This is the first year we have the program, but this will be something that happens every year around this time.”
Fortner explained in addition to himself, a committee of other adults affiliated with the school voted on which of the group’s 48 students would be chosen to represent Cassville on the national level.
“A few kids within the program are selected to go to the capital every year,” explained Fortner. “We have a JAG committee that I head and that Ms. Mandy Boone is a part of. We select the students that end up getting to go.”
The committee selected four students, Jaccob Houskeeper, Lauren Cornett, Tayler McCullah and Dylan Renkoski, to travel to the capital. Additionally, Fortner and English teacher Mandy Boone travelled with the group as chaperones. Students departed on the trip on the morning of December 4 and returned the evening of December 7.
Fortner explained the trip provided a variety of firsts for the group.
“They got to fly on a plane for the first time, as well as their first-ever Uber ride,” boasted Fortner. “They got to go to Maryland, as well as several historical museums.”
For part of the trip, the group attended special leadership sessions with other members of JAG.
“My favorite part of the trip was the leadership sessions,” explained McCullah. “There are people that I met there that I am still talking to weeks after the trip.”
The leadership sessions, which according to Boone and Fortner were closed to JAG advisers, featured the leadership from JAG chapters all over the country coming together to discuss their backgrounds, as well as the job markets in their respective hometowns.
“We got into groups and discussed what life was like in our part of the world,” explained McCullah.
The JAG group also played several ice breaking games, as well as several activities that were engineered to help students think critically about problems.
Outside of these sessions, the groups were encouraged to explore the city and take in all the sites that the capital had to offer. The group visited several monuments, including war monuments from World War I, II, Vietnam and Korea as well as historic landmarks like the Washington and Lincoln monuments.
Another site visited by the JAG group was the Holocaust Museum. Mandi Boone, who herself teaches a unit on the tragedy, was impressed by her students interest in the museum.
“It was incredible,” explained Boone. “All of these guys have had a history lesson, as well as my class where we read “Night” by Elie Wiesel. There was a whole lot of context there for them; it was very powerful. They really surprised me because I was worried that they might be bored, but it ended up being one of everyone’s favorite parts of the trip.”
The group also visited Arlington Cemetery where they viewed the changing of the guard and several JAG students got to take part in the placing of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It was there that Jaccob Houskeeper said the trip helped him make a major decision about the direction of his life.
“My favorite part of the trip was the changing of the guard,” explained Houskeeper. “The honor that was given just to that one solider who was standing in the place of an unknown amount of soldiers was so impactful that it was hard to explain. It influenced me to join the service, and now I’m planning on joining the National Guard out of high school.”
The JAG group returned home on Saturday, December 7, with a renewed spirit and a focus on the future.
Vinnie Roberts
Last month, one of Cassville’s newest programs, Jobs for American Graduates (JAG), sent a group of representatives to their first ever conference in Washington, D.C.
JAG is a nationwide program that focuses on giving students life skills to find employment after high school, regardless of their post-secondary education status. The group meets once monthly where they are treated to a lesson in employability by a guest speaker who imparts wisdom about the reality of the job market and what constitutes skills that makes them a good hire in their prospective fields.
“It’s a program that teaches kids about employability and life skills,” explained Cassville High School teacher and JAG adviser Nathan Fortner. “It’s designed to help students be successful after high school.”
The club teaches students skills that are often introduced at the high school level but are often not elaborated on in a complex way.
“JAG has taught us how to do interviews and write resumes and cover letters,” said student and JAG member Jaccob Houskeeper.
According to one student who is already employed, the program has not only taught her skills that helped her in her current position but could also transfer out into future employment.
“I already have a part-time job, but eventually I’m going to have a full-time job, and this group has given me the skills that I need to make that easy for me,” explained Tayler McCullah.
Annually, representatives from each chapter meet in Washington, D.C., to come together and, instead of learning from speakers, learn from each other.
“This trip is a yearly trip for the program,” explained Fortner. “This is the first year we have the program, but this will be something that happens every year around this time.”
Fortner explained in addition to himself, a committee of other adults affiliated with the school voted on which of the group’s 48 students would be chosen to represent Cassville on the national level.
“A few kids within the program are selected to go to the capital every year,” explained Fortner. “We have a JAG committee that I head and that Ms. Mandy Boone is a part of. We select the students that end up getting to go.”
The committee selected four students, Jaccob Houskeeper, Lauren Cornett, Tayler McCullah and Dylan Renkoski, to travel to the capital. Additionally, Fortner and English teacher Mandy Boone travelled with the group as chaperones. Students departed on the trip on the morning of December 4 and returned the evening of December 7.
Fortner explained the trip provided a variety of firsts for the group.
“They got to fly on a plane for the first time, as well as their first-ever Uber ride,” boasted Fortner. “They got to go to Maryland, as well as several historical museums.”
For part of the trip, the group attended special leadership sessions with other members of JAG.
“My favorite part of the trip was the leadership sessions,” explained McCullah. “There are people that I met there that I am still talking to weeks after the trip.”
The leadership sessions, which according to Boone and Fortner were closed to JAG advisers, featured the leadership from JAG chapters all over the country coming together to discuss their backgrounds, as well as the job markets in their respective hometowns.
“We got into groups and discussed what life was like in our part of the world,” explained McCullah.
The JAG group also played several ice breaking games, as well as several activities that were engineered to help students think critically about problems.
Outside of these sessions, the groups were encouraged to explore the city and take in all the sites that the capital had to offer. The group visited several monuments, including war monuments from World War I, II, Vietnam and Korea as well as historic landmarks like the Washington and Lincoln monuments.
Another site visited by the JAG group was the Holocaust Museum. Mandi Boone, who herself teaches a unit on the tragedy, was impressed by her students interest in the museum.
“It was incredible,” explained Boone. “All of these guys have had a history lesson, as well as my class where we read “Night” by Elie Wiesel. There was a whole lot of context there for them; it was very powerful. They really surprised me because I was worried that they might be bored, but it ended up being one of everyone’s favorite parts of the trip.”
The group also visited Arlington Cemetery where they viewed the changing of the guard and several JAG students got to take part in the placing of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It was there that Jaccob Houskeeper said the trip helped him make a major decision about the direction of his life.
“My favorite part of the trip was the changing of the guard,” explained Houskeeper. “The honor that was given just to that one solider who was standing in the place of an unknown amount of soldiers was so impactful that it was hard to explain. It influenced me to join the service, and now I’m planning on joining the National Guard out of high school.”
The JAG group returned home on Saturday, December 7, with a renewed spirit and a focus on the future.