Last week, a special ribbon cutting ceremony was held in the auditorium at Williamsburg High School to commemorate the launch of the school’s new Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program.
The program is designed to help high school students explore various career paths and develop leadership skills through hands-on experiences and specialized training.
Principal Ashley Partin said she is thankful that WHS students will have the opportunity to benefit from JAG in the years ahead.
“This is a significant step forward, not only for our school, but for our community,” Partin said during last week’s ceremony. “This program will help to support and empower our students to reach their fullest potential.”
Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison and 82nd District Rep. Nick Wilson both served as special guests at the JAG program ribbon cutting. Harrison said, “A community is known for its workforce, and you taking this on in order to become part of that workforce, you don’t really realize yet just how much you are contributing back to your community.”
Megan Sizemore is serving as the JAG program specialist at WHS. She shared some of her thoughts on the program after the ribbon cutting, saying, “What we’re doing is helping students become successful in whatever they want to do after high school. We are equipping them with the skills that they need to do that.”
Sizemore explained that 52 students will be a part of the first JAG group at Williamsburg. She said these students will get the benefit of hearing from special guest speakers, taking field trips to various job sites, receiving help with drafting resumes and cover letters, and much more.
Camille Robidoux works as an on-staff licensed social worker for JAG. She said that there are currently 101 active JAG programs in middle schools and high schools across the state of Kentucky. “The goal is to get students ready for the workforce,” she said, adding that one of the main focus areas of JAG is teaching participating students valuable leadership skills that will make them more marketable to potential future employers.
Finally, WHS senior Megan Partin has the honor of being the school’s very first JAG student president. She said she is excited to see how the program will offer students the opportunity to learn important skills that will be used throughout adulthood.
For more information on JAG and its many offerings, go online to www.jag.org.
