Chamber Partners With District to Prepare Students for Higher Education and Jobs

Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce

Partners with

Greece Central School District
 

Preparing Students for Higher Education and Jobs

 By

 Kathleen Graupman

Superintendent of Schools

Greece Central School District

AND

Photo by John Retallack

Sarah E. Lentini

President and CEO

Greece Regional Chamber

Also Published as

Democrat and Chronicle Guest Column

By Kathleen Graupman and Sarah Lentini

 11/26/16

With a population of 97,000 – comparable to the city of Albany – the town of Greece is the largest town in Monroe County and one of the largest towns in the state of New York. Not surprisingly, comprised of 17 schools that serve over 11,000 students, the Greece Central School District is the 9th largest in the state of New York. The student population mirrors the general population of Greece, which is increasingly international and culturally rich. Home to some of the most sophisticated business and education sectors in the nation – including a plethora of colleges and universities and innovation hubs such as Eastman Business Park and Canal Ponds Business Park, we are uniquely poised to play a leading role in the preparation of young people to be meaningfully engaged and involved in the social and economic fabric of our future.

The Greece Central School District and the Greece business community are collaborating on several cutting-edge models to prepare and connect students to jobs, higher education and careers.

Summer employment opportunities are available to all students in the district, ages 16 and up, including jobs available through the Town of Greece and RochesterWorks. This is a great way for teenagers to gain early work experience, compensation and the satisfaction of successfully participating in the work force.

Work-study opportunities, including a job coach, are available through a variety of regional employers to district special education students, ages 16 to 21. Employers include: Rochester Regional Health Unity Hospital & Edna Tina Wilson Living Center, Flower City Printing, Hope Lutheran, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, RMSC, ARC of Monroe, the Town of Greece, Labs of Love, and Big Lots. These jobs provide youth with important work experiences and the development of key "soft" skills, such as problem solving and diplomacy, which they carry with them throughout their lives.

In addition, the district and the business community are jointly creating unique Career Pathways, a sequence of courses that provides young people in the Greece School District with early training and experience in a range of exciting college and employment choices, such as optics and photonics, hospitality and the culinary arts, digital media, emergency health care, and the arts. These focused courses will lead to a credential, college credit, internships, and work experience, giving Greece students a huge leg up when it comes both to choosing and preparing for a career. The partnership with business and higher education will help align the coursework and preparation to the needs and requirements of real employers with real jobs in our area.

It’s important to note that the Greece Central School District has a long-standing foundation, the Greece Education Foundation, which plays an important role in fostering teaching creativity at the classroom level in all grades and across all district schools by providing grants for special projects and initiatives every year.

Similarly, the Greece Chamber of Commerce has partnered with a long-standing foundation, the Greece Chamber Charitable Foundation, which plays an important role in providing grants for youth development, job training, and internships with regional businesses throughout our community.

In addition, the Greece Youth Hall of Fame, a long-standing partnership between the Greece Chamber of Commerce and area businesses and school districts, including the Greece Central School District, has celebrated exceptional high school students – and there are many – for over 26 years. We firmly believe that our community needs to spend more time recognizing and acknowledging the talent, hard work, courage, and generosity that large numbers of young people exemplify.

For all of these efforts, support from the public is essential – as is continued and expanded support from regional higher education and business. We cannot invest in just one segment of our population nor in just one strategy. We must work together across borders and use a multi-pronged approach to address the challenges and maximize the opportunities afforded by our current environment. The Greece Central School District and the Greece Chamber of Commerce are committed to developing creative, multi-disciplinary models to nurture, support and celebrate children and youth – the next generation – and we invite you to join us.

Photograph courtesy of James Montanus, Montanus Photography

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