Before the lunch periods began at La Porte High School (LPHS), LaPorteCountyLife showed up and set up shop tight outside the cafeteria doors. Why? We were invited!
La Porte Community School Corporation partnered with the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce to create the “Business Showcase”. Their goals were to strengthen the bonds between the school and the local businesses, and give the students an opportunity to see what La Porte has to offer after graduation. When the invitation was extended to us, we gladly accepted because we knew -just as the La Porte School Corporation and Chamber did- that this was a win-win for everybody.
Laura Krentz, the visual arts teacher at LPHS, stopped for a minute and gave her thoughts on the Showcase.
“I think it’s great for them to know that there are a lot of career opportunities in businesses around the area.” Krentz said. “It’s important to let them know that what they are learning here can be applied to job situations. And we really want to keep them in this area, and if they know that there are great opportunities to get employment here, maybe they won’t feel like they have to leave the area and go off to a different state or the other side of the country. They can give back right here in La Porte County or in this region.”
High school students are at a pivotal point in their life. Childhood is coming to an end and becoming an adult is fast approaching. Many are unsure about what to do after graduation, and it isn’t because they are buried by the massive amount of opportunities that tackle them at every turn. It’s quite the opposite, actually. Many students that are approaching the end of high school aren’t sure what steps to take because they feel like there is nothing out there for them. And it is quite unlikely (and understandable) that a teenager would go out to all the businesses in the area just to ask, “What do you have to offer me?”
This Business Showcase is a way for businesses to show the kids that there is something out there for each person, and the kids don’t even have to leave the school. Susan Yazel, a family and consumer sciences teacher at LPHS, is very pleased with the Showcase.
“I think this is very important. Many kids don’t realize the opportunities that are available in La Porte County," Yazel said. "When we were kids, we didn’t want to back and work in the town where we grew up because we didn’t think that there was anything there for us. But there are so many opportunities in La Porte –many that I wasn’t even aware of. So many businesses are looking for dedicated workers that don’t have to have straight As.”
To find out more about the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce, click here!
To find out more about La Porte Schools, please click here!