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In an effort to give students a real-world look at their future, the Claysburg-Kimmel School District is partnering with the Claysburg Education Foundation for a workshop aimed to show kids what they face after graduation -- from high school or college.
The Life's Choices and Career Exploration program, for students in grades 9-12, will be held Nov. 5 at the high school.
The day's events will be like a real life version of "The Game of Life," in that students will choose a career and learn what they can expect when various events come their way.
Organizers said many young people today are graduating high school without the necessary knowledge to properly plan for their future or navigate life as an independent adult.
This program looks to change that.
Dreamed up by education foundation board member Rich Allison, who graduated from Claysburg-Kimmel High School in 1969, the program will have students practice performing various adult tasks such as buying a car, purchasing a house and managing insurance.
Costs will also be calculated for food and student loans, Allison said.
Prior to the event, students who are trying to decide if college or higher education is the right choice for them will have the opportunity to select their desired occupation and see its annual income.
Then, students will pick a school from a list of Pennsylvania colleges. The cost of a four-year program, how much student debt they may accumulate and what their monthly payment on that debt will be is the first financial step they'll make.
The program isn't meant to dissuade students from attending college or to push them into a tech school or the workforce. Instead, it's to show students the real cost of living, something most probably have not had to think about as their families take care of them.
Claysburg-Kimmel High School Principal Chuck Kassick said the program will have students comparing costs of schooling against wages, among other factors.
During the event, students will be primarily involved in determining how much money they will need to make to support the lifestyle they want as an adult.
Students will learn the effects different wages can have on their possible disposable income.
For one phase, students will be considered single and in another they will be married with the possibility of having between zero and six children.
The expenses from all of their choices will then be listed and compared to their income so they can determine if they need to make adjustments.
Vendors from realty and insurance companies, banks, auto dealers and financial institutions will be on hand to help students with loan options and to give advice, Kassick said.
"It's a unique opportunity to give these kids something worth more than just a high school curriculum," he said.
Not only will students learn about wages after college, they will be able to see potential wages available through technical and vocational classes for careers in fields including welding, HVAC installation and medical aides.
The program gives students the opportunity to compare the cost of that training to the cost of a four-year college program.
"We're doing things that are a lot more applicable in the real world," Kassick said.
Another aspect of the day involves exposing students in grades 7-12 to a variety of career choices. Each teacher will pick three different careers to teach each period and will have the option of bringing in a guest speaker to give presentations. The teachers are expected to select careers related to the subject they teach so students can be shown jobs ranging from CAD drafting to graphic design to social work, Kassick said.
The education levels needed for these careers will also vary, with some requiring a high school diploma and others 10-year degrees, Kassick said.
"The idea is if you do this through grade 7 to 12 you'll be exposed to a minimum of 36 to as many as 60 to 72 different careers," Kassick said.
The career exposure is meant to help students later when they get to attend the life choices portion of the day.
According to the press release, an additional key component of the event will be showing students the importance of funding and investing in a retirement program because most retirement funding comes from individual investments instead of a defined benefit or pension plan.
While this is the program's first year at Claysburg-Kimmel, administrators are hoping it will be an annual event.
"We know it's our first time through so there will be some bumps and bugs to work through," Kassick said.
"It'll be a learning experience for all of us," Allison said.
Allison said that his inspiration and the basis for the program came from a school in Oklahoma that was doing something similar.
That program, Allison said, brought students in and let them look at houses and cars.
Allison decided to take that idea a step further, adding a myriad of choices students would have to make in their adult life and then worked for months on a computer program to automate the system.
He said he did it all so that he could show students why they need to strive to do better.
In addition to helping students thrive later in life, the press release said the program will work as a part of the PA Act 339 Career Profiles required for all students in Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Act 339 mandates that all school districts in the commonwealth have a comprehensive, sequential program of guidance services for students in pre-K through grade 12.
"We're killing a couple birds here with one stone," Kassick said of the new program.
The Claysburg-Kimmel School District has worked with the Claysburg Education Foundation since the organization's inception in 2014. According to the foundation's website, its mission is to support, enhance and promote quality educational opportunities for students and residents of the Claysburg area. The foundation donated laptops for remote learning in 2020 as well as made donations to the Learning Lamp pre-K program and implemented summer STEM and arts programs.
"The financial aspect they provide is insane," Kassick said of the foundation. "It's so unique and overwhelming for such a small school, it's incredible. They do it for the goodness of the kids because they don't ask for things in return."
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.