Finding your career at any age

WORLAND — Last year as part of the 21st Century Grant, the Worland Youth Learning Center planned four college and career opportunity evenings and this year students in kindergarten through eighth grade will have their opportunity to decide what they want to be when they grow up.

WYLC Executive Director Shannon Christian said they have four college and career nights planned this year, funded by the 21st Century Grant. She said there will be one college and career night/family engagement event every quarter with the first one next Thursday, Sept. 19, from 6-7:30 p.m.

The theme for the first night is “reach for the stars” as the students with their family begin planning for the future.

She said the evenings are also the learning center’s family engagement events so students must have at least one parent or guardian with them.

During the night, she said each family will be given poster board to make an arm poster. On the five fingers the students will list five careers they are interested in. Along the arm they will list five short-term goals that they can achieve at the center as they work toward those careers.

There will also be a fun ice breaker and physical activity.

Last year the focus for the grant was college and career nights for high school students. Four evenings were planned but due to conflicts the welding night was cancelled. Christian said with so many events focused on college and degrees, at the learning center they wanted to focus on trade schools so they held a diesel mechanic night at Diesel Pickup Specialists. Mikel Baugh of DPS spoke to the students, as did a representative from Wyo Tech. Six other trade schools sent information to the students.

Chelsea Hill conducted the cosmetology night at Nail Jive that included work on nails and waxing.

And the third was culinary with a friend of Christians, Alison Murphy, a pastry chef, providing an online/livestreaming course.

WYLC

The Worland Youth Learning Center is open after school for K-12 students until 6 p.m., although Christian noted that she employs high school students. Middle school students are involved in a leadership program at WYLC, which often leads to them becoming employed at the high school level.

The Washakie County School District No. 1 provides bus services for elementary students to the learning center after school.

Activities and lessons at the learning center are focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math).

Tuesday and Thursday are club days which change monthly. September clubs are dinosaur K’Nex, fall creation and Wii karaoke. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the learning center focuses on core areas in the arts and crafts/creativity lab, learning lab and technology lab. She said students are doing educational programs in reading, language arts and math to help them in their regular school day.

They also have program where a tutor helps students with homework, spelling words, class projects and more.

Each day they provide at least 30 minutes of physical activity.

Christian said with the location in the Worland Community Center Complex parents are able to coordinate their students’ schedules easily with the recreation district and recreation activities and parents can provide releases for students to be dismissed to football, volleyball or soccer practices in the recreation leagues.

She said staff members make sure the students get to the practices where parents can pick them up.

Parents can enroll their child anytime at the learning center. There is a suggested $25 monthly donation for the services. Membership applications are available at the learning center office, open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The learning center is open Monday through Friday, except holidays.