I'd like to tell you about a program at our high school that you might not know much about. It is JAG- Jobs for America's Graduates. JAG has been at the Raymond High School since the 2003-2004 school year and is a nation wide program found in 38 states. Their mission statement reads: "The mission of NH-JAG is to affect positive change in the lives of young
people, by raising awareness of the future, increasing leadership
skills that promote educational success and developing conscious
personal and career choices through collaboration with parents, schools,
employers and community organizations."
Students who are in this program have a dedicated period to attend a JAG class as part of their schedule. In this class, students learn leadership skills, interviewing skills, the application process, visit businesses, and are provided with support for course work. Our students take part in at least three events each year on the state level: a Career Development Conference, the NH Seat Belt Challenge and the Annual Leadership Awards, where students have an opportunity to earn scholarship money. Last year, our JAG program made a wonderful public service message about the importance of wearing seat belts. For this, they needed to do research on accidents involving teens. The Raymond High School Seat Belt Challenge message was very well done and can be downloaded and seen at– RHS CS PP.
We are very lucky to have sponsorship from the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the form of mentors for our students. Wal-Mart is also a state sponsor along with Hannaford, Bank of America, and Boucher Public Relations. With Wal-Mart's Greg Sevinski taking the lead, our students meet with their mentors to find out about the working world, including interview practice, applications, internships and tours. I have attended both award ceremonies and induction ceremonies, and I can tell you that our students are proud to be associated with JAG and the success it helps them achieve both in and out of school.
