SHS Community Work Day returns
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After having to shelve the program due to COVID-19 concerns, and then due to bad weather, Strathmore High School (SHS) is finally bringing back its Community Work Day.
According to Cheryl Davidson, a teacher at SHS, the program is an excellent opportunity for students to get some hands-on job experience around town.
“It is also an opportunity for students to get out into the community to maybe do a little job shadowing with somebody or help in a different field that they might be interested in as a career,” she said.
None of the students currently enrolled at SHS have experienced the formerly annual event. Davidson hopes now that the program is able to resume, it will return to being a regularly scheduled event.
Community Work Day also serves as a fundraiser for SHS, as the school is eventually looking to purchase an LED presentation board for the gym. The expense to do so will be approximately $100,000.
“The students try to find a placement, so that is somebody who will hire them for the day for $50. They make the payment to the school and then the student will spend the day doing whatever the employer would like them to do,” said Davidson. “The community can also call in, so if somebody does not have a student here at the high school or know anyone but they want some work done, they can call the school and we place students with the community.”
Students may be able to participate in a wide variety of different jobs, under the pretense that it is safe and supervised work.
Davidson added she has seen many students take on jobs such as maintenance of the senior’s lodge, helping out around the school, farm work, automotive detailing, and spring cleaning.
“Some of the students will be working here at the school. I am the cosmetology teacher, so I am going to open up the cosmo lab to the community and there are six students who said they would like to work here,” she explained. “I will hire them and then we will run a cosmo lab that day. The community is welcome to come in and have their hair done and pay for those services. The school is also going to hire a couple of students to do some painting.”
Any student at SHS is able to participate should they so choose. Businesses or individuals may reach out to Davidson at cheryl.davidson@ghsd75.ca or to jan.wathen@ghsd75.ca to register jobs for students.
Interested students will then reach out to those offering employment for the day and will be on hand from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. mimicking regular school hours. Community Work Day will take place on April 27.