VP Rotary members help students with job seeking skills

Leonard: Leonard Fontenot leads Vidrine Elementary School students in a job interview role playing session.

Another shows Ronnie Landreneau and students at Vidrine Elementary School during a workshop

Members of the Ville Platte Rotary Club are taking time out of their busy schedules to facilitate meaningful workshops for eighth grade students attending Ville Platte schools in a CHOICES program that addresses the nation’s high school dropout epidemic.
Their two fast-paced, hour-long participatory decision-making sessions focus on keeping teens in school, motivating them toward their education and future, and introducing them to practical life skills to help them succeed. These business and community volunteers take students through real-world exercises on academic self-discipline, time and money management, and goal setting.
Every school day 7,000 teens become high school dropouts nationwide. That is one every 26 seconds. The national school drop-out rate is 29 percent, Louisiana’s dropout rate is 33 percent, and Evangeline Parish School District’s dropout rate is 17 percent. This dropout partnership program was organized by Mark Suellentrop of Cabot Corporation, Superintendent Toni Hamlin, and Assistant Superintendent Darwan Lazard in an effort to continue lowering our statistics. Ronnie Landreneau and Leonard Fontenot challenged eighth graders at Vidrine Elementary School while Dan Poret and David Mayeux encouraged students at Chataignier Elementary School.
The volunteer presenters lead students in making SMART (Specific goals, Measurable steps, Achievable goals, with Relevant and Timely) CHOICES by examining real-life self-discipline alternatives; such as, whether to attend a party or stay home to study, or deciding if a student should attend a basketball game, do homework, or find ways to do both.
Participants discuss how to manage daily activities and consequences that follow decisions they make. After discussing the saying, “I’m not what happens to me,” all students are given CHOICES pendants that say, “I am who I choose to become.”
Knowing the strong correlation between participation in the CHOICES program and positive school engagement, all students are encouraged to sign commitments to remain in school. They are also given the options to participate in the CHOICES challenge, a text messaging after school activity designed to reinforce principles learned. Students examine issues like what it would take to get into specific colleges.
A lively conversation arose at Chataignier Elementary School on how Evangeline Parish students can begin taking free college courses now until they graduate from high school. Eighth grade participants from Chataignier and Vidrine elementary schools appreciated the CHOICES challenge so much, they plan on displaying their signed certificates on bulletin boards to serve as constant, visible reminders to graduate from high school before getting a job in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, entering a technical college like SLCC, or attending college. Jessica Shuff will lead this effort at Chataignier Elementary School. Principals Peggy Edwards and Sherryl Tezeno enthusiastically agreed to have students receive their CHOICES certificates as part of graduation commencements into high school.
Grace Vidrine Sibley, EPSB seventh and eighth grade supervisor, said “The presenters powerfully stirred teenagers in fun, organized, and creative ways to understand the term ‘cost of living’ and ignited ‘aha’ moments with sobering information about education skills necessary for various occupations. They emphasize how education achievement levels will greatly limit or expand career choices and the ability to financially support themselves or their families.”