Ever wonder what programs you could take part in during your school day? This one may even shorten your schedule down to just four periods! The Cooperative education program, or Co-Op for short, is designed to give students experience for career exploration purposes. The program is a cooperative effort between the school and employers whereby students can receive instruction both in school and on the job. The student receives school credit and is also paid for the work they perform for the employer.  Students have an early release, after either fourth or fifth period, from school to start work earlier in the day if needed by the employer. A fun activity that we do is something called coffee break.  It is an event Mrs. Vollmer hosts every other Friday, and we have group discussions while you get to have your favorite snack, if you remembered.  

Let’s hear some discussions from some students in the program:  

This is Deja Hernandez: she is a barista at Starbucks. It is her first and only year in Co-Op, due to her being a Senior, but she regrets not joining the program her junior year. Let us hear some of her own thoughts: When asked about her job, Deja had this to say, “Working at Starbucks is hard, but it is worth the pay. I leave after fourth period, but I start at 1:00 p.m., so I do not always have a lot of time before work to get ready or eat.” She also stated, “…but so far the program is super easy and has lots of fun projects, but it is also slowly teaching me good habits to become a successful adult.”. 

This is Kyle Gyllstrom: he is a dental technician at Aim Dental.  He paints, glazes, and even fires the teeth to finish the entire process of making fake teeth. It is his first year of Co-Op as well, but he says he loves the program and said he should have taken it his junior year. Kyle had this to say about leaving early, “I like leaving after fourth period because I have a lot of time between work and leaving for school.” He goes on to say, “I would start early if I didn’t already have a set schedule, but I still start earlier than I would with a normal schedule.” 

Wow!  Those were some great interviews! When listening to them I could relate to both, but I also did not mention that I am in the program myself! This is my first year in Co-Op, but I am a junior, so I still can participate my senior year as well. I left after fifth period because I didn’t have enough credits to leave after fourth period, unlike most of my peers in my class. I give so much credit to all my peers in my class who are such hard workers! We all come from diverse backgrounds and work ethics, but together we become a big team, class, and friends.