At Rogers This Summer, Students Get Taste of the Real World

Rogers High School senior Trevor Smith says he's not quite sure what he wants to do after graduation.

But for the next few weeks of his summer, the Newport teen is trying to figure it out, all while earning school credit and getting paid.

It's part of the Youth Workforce Summer Experience program, a project that's federally funded through the Department of Labor and Training and is being offered at the Newport Area Career and Technical Center for the first time this summer. The DLT introduced the program last summer in Warwick and Providence, and expanded it this year to Woonsocket and Newport. The point is to give students at risk of dropping out the opportunity to get motivated about their future.

For six weeks this summer, area teens are spending five hours a day, four days a week, learning culinary, cosmetology, residential construction and automotive technology skills through the program. In return, they receive a ½ credit in math, a ½ credit in English-Language Arts, a full credit in vocational education and $7.40 an hour.

"It's a really good deal for these kids," said Rogers High Dean Raleigh Brennan, who's overseeing Youth Workforce in Newport this summer.

Brennan, along with principal Patti Dicenso and Assistant Principal Jim Nelson, spent the better part of the summer trying to recruit area youth to participate. Because Newport wasn't notified it had received the $200,000 federal stimulus grant until May, Dicenso said they had to network with the MLK Center, the Boys & Girls Club, and other organizations to quickly find students who qualified. Students interested had to exhibit one of three barriers: financial, academic or physical.

While the program is open to all Newport County youth, Dicenso estimated that 85 percent of the participants are Newport residents. Approximately 50 teens are participating in all.

The program began July 12 and runs through August 19. The students spent the first two weeks of the program rotating among the four vocations, then selected the one they enjoyed the most to focus on during the remaining four weeks.

"It's been fun," Smith said of the experience so far. "Learning about hair isn't one of my main interests, but learning about cars, that's important."

On a recent weekday, students in one room could be found making pizza, which would be served as free lunch to their peers in Youth Workforce and the other summer programs at Rogers.

Down the hall, a group of teens were busy at a row of sinks, learning the art of hair shampooing.

"It's going really well," cosmetology instructor Dianne Martin said as she watched her students finish up. "We've done finger waves, pin curls. Some of the guys have mastered the tasks before the girls."

In addition to the vocational skills, the students have also spent time with a job coach learning to write a cover letter, resume and thank you note to potential employers. They've also participated in mock job interviews.

"We're hoping this encourages them that there's jobs out there they can do that they've never been exposed to," Dicenso said. "A lot of life is experiences, and without these experiences they may never have the confidence to feel they can do something. It's getting a hook, finding a hook that will keep them in school.  Many teachers think about the subject 180 days of the year, but my teachers think of the students and what they need to do. "

According to DiCenso, Rogers High had a 78 percent graduation rate in 2010, up from 67 percent the year before.

"The dropout rate went down, the graduation rate went up, and it's due to all of these measures," she noted. "I joke that we're like a 7-Eleven. We're open 24 hours a day. There's always something you can be doing here."

When the students of Youth Workforce aren't in the lab, they're in the classroom, working on their numeracy and literacy skills. While spending their summer back at school isn't preferable to some of these students, Dicenso said it's been remarkable to watch their engagement grow as the days in the program go forward.

"And they still get Fridays off so they can still enjoy a little bit of their summer," she noted.

By the end of the six weeks, students are expected to leave having completed at least one work readiness goal, which was set at the beginning of the program. Students were given a pre-test upon entering the program that assessed their skills, work experience, employability, interests, aptitude and support service needs.

Cleaning up after shampooing hair, Smith noted the experience hasn't been an easy one and that it's going to be a challenge deciding which direction he wants to go in.

"But it's good to be learning something new," he said.