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PROPOSAL FOR

STUDENT MENTORS AND ASSEMBLY SPEAKERS

FOR CAREER GUIDANCE

Prepared for The Superintendent of O’Fallon Township High School

O’Fallon, Illinois

by

Michelle Brauner Technical Writing Student

April 27, 2015

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Table of Contents LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Figure 1..............................................................................................................................................6

Figure 2..............................................................................................................................................7

Figure 3..............................................................................................................................................8

Figure 4..............................................................................................................................................9

Figure 5............................................................................................................................................ 10

INFORMATIVE ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 11

THE PROBLEM ........................................................................................................................... 11

THE PLAN .................................................................................................................................. 11

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................. 11

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 13

Statement of Problem ............................................................................................................... 13

Objective .................................................................................................................................. 13

Sources..................................................................................................................................... 13

Details of the Problem ............................................................................................................... 13

Needs ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Phases of the Plan ..................................................................................................................... 14

Cost and Materials .................................................................................................................... 16

Timeline.................................................................................................................................... 16

Personnel ................................................................................................................................. 16

Feasibility ................................................................................................................................. 16

Benefits .................................................................................................................................... 16

WORKS CITED ................................................................................................................................... 18

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April 27, 2015

Superintendent, Dr. Darcy Benway

O’Fallon Township High School 650 Milburn School Road O’Fallon, IL 62269

Dear Dr. Benway, I would like to commend all of the teachers and educators in the O’Fallon district. O’Fallon

schools are some of the best in Illinois, and I know that I am very proud as a parent to be sending my son to a school in this district.

One thing that I have noticed, with my son being in middle school, is that it would be nice if there were more assemblies and programs that would both be able to prepare him more for high

school, and give him more of an outlook and overview of the types of careers there are to choose from before going to college.

Overview of the Problem

With the highly televised violence that has gone on in Ferguson, Missouri, it has definitely been

an example of young kids turning to a life of crime. Some school-age kids have turned to alcohol and drugs, and others have become involved with gangs. Even worse is when kids drop

out of school, eliminating college and a chance for a real future or career. Obviously, no one wants to see their child turn to drugs and crime. And none of us want to see

our city or town become victim to crime, making our streets unsafe.

Solution

It makes sense to have more programs in both middle school and high school, to better prepare kids for the future, and give them good, solid ideas for goals and careers. This could be done

with more assemblies, which include speakers from colleges, military recruiters, and speakers working in different careers. They can all talk, and then answer questions that the students may

have, which would better prepare students to make more informed decisions regarding their futures.

The school can also involve speakers from volunteer organizations in the community, which can talk about their organization and can help get students more involved in helping within their

community, which promotes more self-esteem and a benefit to the community and the people that are being helped.

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Background

The schools are the prime place to instill goals and ambitions, so kids don’t go down the wrong

path. It has been proven that in areas where there is more involvement in the community and extra-curricular activities, crime rates are much lower.

Methods

The O’Fallon middle schools and high school can become a catalyst of change, and offer even more opportunities to prepare kids for a better future. The middle schools can better advertise

and hold assemblies and have guest speakers inform them of classes and opportunities available at the high school. For instance, all of the sports, clubs and extra-curricular activities are already being discussed. These are fun and something most kids are excited to learn more about. It

would also be a good idea to promote programs such as the Junior ROTC club, which is a great program that not many kids know much about or what it has to offer, so they miss out on the

opportunity to experience it. High schools have been known to have military recruitment officers to the school to talk to kids.

Another idea would be to have speakers come in and talk about their personal experiences of being in a certain branch of the military, how it has benefitted them and their quality of life,

helped by paying for them to go to college, helped them further their career, etc. They could also bring in different speakers of various careers for students to talk to and get more of an idea of what these types of careers entail, which will in turn better help students to pick a major in

college that they are most interested in.

Scheduling

The biggest concern about getting guest speakers is in scheduling times and dates for availability. However, if scheduled a few months ahead, this shouldn’t be a problem. The

schools could start making arrangements in the spring or summer for their fall speakers. This plan could be implemented at the beginning of the next school year in September, 2015. A

project management office would need to be established in order to forecast and de-conflict school days for the schedule. In addition, the project timeline would need to be approved through the superintendent.

Conclusion

Children are our future. So, it only makes sense that we help better prepare our school-age children for different options that will be available to them, so they can make the best choices possible, ensuring their bright futures?

Many young adults over the years have skipped college after graduating from high school,

unsure of what they wanted to do, only to find out later that they cannot make the type of money or afford the nice things they want without a college degree. Many of these same adults have chosen to go to college later in life, with tougher conditions, as they are now juggling college

classes, homework, a full-time job, and sometimes kids and families.

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It makes so much more sense to arm these kids with the knowledge of certain careers, and what to expect, while they are still in middle school and high school, so it is easier for them to make a

better informed choice or decision about what type of career they actually want to pursue. We all want life and experiences to be easier on our kids, so they make fewer mistakes. So let’s take

the steps to provide the most information and guidance to them on what they need to know to make the best decisions possible, upon graduating high school, and embarking on their next steps to training for a career in college. They would likely be more prepared and more excited, thanks

to the speakers and information they learned while in middle school and high school.

Thank you for your time and review of the attached proposal. I trust that the board will take this plan and these ideas into consideration.

Sincerely,

Michelle L. Brauner

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Figure 1 Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

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Figure 2. Percent of Students Reporting Use of Marijuana in Past Year.

Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

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Figure 3. Percent Perceiving Great Risk of Smoking Marijuana Regularly.

Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

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Figure 4 Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/more-school-less-spirit-why-

young-people-are-drinking- less-alcohol/281759/

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Figure 5. More adolescents use alcohol than cigarettes or marijuana.

Source: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking/UnderageFact.htm

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INFORMATIVE ABSTRACT

THE PROBLEM It has been a long-time ongoing problem with kids getting involved in drugs and alcohol in high school. There is also the issue of bullying, fights, kids falling in with the wrong crowd, turning

to crime and dropping out, teen pregnancy, and students not going on to college in pursuit of a decent career.

THE PLAN

It is a feasible and logical idea to better prepare our children and students for the real world. First, students have to be motivated to make educated and informed choices. When they enter

high school, most students are concerned about making friends and what to be involved in. Then, there is the worry of kids being bullied at school, cyber bullying and not fitting in. This is

where the plan of having student advisors and a buddy system to younger students can come in handy. Junior and senior students can help freshmen and sophomores to become more acclimated, both socially and academically. Just this step alone can help aid in the younger

students’ confidence and self-esteem and help them to feel more accepted in a new school. This can also help ward off potential bullies, both because they have higher confidence to dismiss a

bully quickly, not letting them bother them, and because they have an upper-class friend and mentor, who is there to help and to report bullying if and when they do witness it.

Extra-curricular activities in school such as sports, band, chorus, cheerleading, scholar bowl, etc. are great and can promote camaraderie and higher self-esteem. The next positive step would be

to promote positive things that kids can get involved in outside of school, but within their communities, such as volunteer organizations. There are some great ones that speakers can come and talk about: Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,

etc. Teenagers getting involved in positive activities outside of school can promote helping the community and a greater sense of purpose for them socially. Helping others can also help them

to put their own problems into better perspective, which helps one to be grateful for the things they do have, and to have a better positive outlet, rather than turning to drugs and alcohol.

The next part for this is more for the older students, the juniors and seniors, in having speakers from different careers come to the school and talk to them, providing information and guidance

from their expertise in the field.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A plan is being proposed here to provide mentors for students, and to better inform them of

careers they may be interested in by bringing in speakers of different careers, including military recruiters, all to inform students of what they do and how they got there. Knowledge is power,

and if students are better informed, then they can make better decisions involving their futures, what type of career they are most interested in and want to pursue, the best colleges to look at for those careers, and being happier in their decisions. The idea is to provide information to best

inform students now, so they don’t go off to college with limited information, and then get into a

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career that they decide they don’t like, and then have to start all over again, or even worse, feeling stuck in a career where they are unhappy.

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INTRODUCTION

Statement of Problem

The O’Fallon school district has a high reputation, and is one of the highest in the area. The high school curriculum itself is great, and the kids have high testing scores. Obviously though,

O’Fallon is not immune to their share of problems. As high as some kids’ grades can be, their self-esteem and their grades can be knocked down by things such as being bullied, getting involved in drugs and alcohol, falling in with the wrong crowd, teen pregnancy, etc.

Objective

In addition to the anti-drug DARE program and fun extra-curricular activities, this proposal

acknowledges that the above problems are relevant and need to continue to be addressed. It offers a new plan that can help on many levels, both academically and socially.

The plan includes an idea of a mentoring buddy system, creating junior and senior advisors. The other part of this plan is to incorporate more speakers and visits to the school, encouraging more

career enrichment. This would include military recruiters, along with guest speakers from different fields of careers that can come in and speak about their experiences, how their job has

enriched their lives, and answer any questions the students may have about expectations in that specific career.

Another idea is to promote volunteering activities to students. This would be a way for students who aren’t interested in sports or band another positive way to get involved in their community, both doing something good for others, while keeping them busy and motivated in a positive and

helpful way.

Sources

The data and information provided comes from various sources and statistics found on the

internet.

Details of the Problem

While alcohol and marijuana have been a concern in high schools over the years, even stronger drugs have become a problem in the community as well.

Richard J. Klemis, 41, was living in O’Fallon in 2010-2011, and during that time sold heroin to several dozen O’Fallon Township High School students (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2015).

Luckily, Klemis was caught and prosecuted, and sentencing is set for May of 2015. Unfortunately, one of Klemis’ customers, Tyler P. McKinney, who was an OTHS student, died of a heroin overdose on February 23, 2011.

As tragic as this is, another sad fact is the reality of what drives kids to drugs and alcohol. Some

kids are subject to peer pressure to try it, while others may turn to the wrong crowd after being bullied, and not feeling like they fit in.

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In 2014, marijuana was listed as the highest used drug among 8th and 12th grade students (see figures 1-3). And alcohol has been listed as more prevalent than even cigarettes or marijuana

(see figures 4-5).

Needs

Since drugs, alcohol, fighting, and being bullied have been a problem, the goal then is not only to ramp up on a zero tolerance level of these activities, but also to provide more positive routes for these kids to take.

86% of students said, “Other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them,”

causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools (Make Beats Not Beat Downs, 2009). The mentoring program can team kids up, giving kids someone to look up to, and help them academically, and can also help decrease bullying, as there is strength in numbers. Having a

mentor to look up to for guidance and support, can also help kids with their confidence and self-esteem.

And the career-enrichment speakers are meant to help better prepare kids for the future, while giving them more information on careers they are interested in.

Scope

This proposal includes a detailed assessment of methods, personnel, programs, timeline and

benefits.

PROPOSED PLAN

The plan discusses the needs of the students, and also indicates the benefits to the students, both while in school, and preparing them to be more informed as far as picking careers and colleges

after high school.

Phases of the Plan

An even more positive learning and career-promoting environment can be achieved by the following phases: (1) the mentoring system by student advisors (juniors and seniors); (2) anti-drug and alcohol rallies and programs; (3) possible hair testing for drugs and alcohol, followed

by counseling and disciplinary action if necessary; (4) promoting volunteer and community programs; (5) military recruiters and career-enrichment speakers and career days at the school,

answering questions and informing kids all about the types of careers they are interested in. The first step in this idea is the mentoring system. This is meant to promote better community

and involvement, giving students an upper-class buddy and mentor. These student advisors can help guide and mentor the younger students both academically and socially. Juniors can be

assigned to freshmen, while seniors can be assigned to sophomores. A good meeting time during school could be during homeroom or study hall, and they could also talk or meet up on their own time outside of school if they choose. It is believed that this type of mentoring and teaming up

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will especially help freshmen students to become more acclimated upon entering high school, and also promote teamwork among all students.

This buddy system is also hope for alleviating bullying, as it is fostering friendship and working together. It is also setting a high standard for the junior and senior advisors to set a good example

to those students they are mentoring. These benefits help all students, and should increase camaraderie and teamwork among students as a whole.

The DARE program and rallies are important to stress the importance of zero tolerance of drugs and alcohol use by the school and in the community.

If drug or alcohol use is suspected, another option would be to conduct hair testing, since a small hair test can prove drug or alcohol use in the past 90 days. Naperville high school (Tilve, 2013) has done this at their school since 2007 with good results. If the testing proves positive for drugs

or alcohol, the student receives counseling, and is then retested after 30 days. If the student tests positive again, they are subject to disciplinary action.

For freshmen and sophomores, there are lots of clubs and extra-curricular activities to get involved in. The school could also hold assemblies and programs for these students to help

promote volunteer and community-enriching activities, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, DARE, Students Against Drunk Driving

(SADD), or even tutoring other students who may need help. For juniors and seniors, the emphasis could be more on speakers for different careers, to help

them decide and be better informed on what type of career to choose and what to major in for college. This could also include military recruiters from each branch of service coming to talk to

the students, offering their personal stories of what all the military service and being involved has done for them, including paying for their college tuition. A suggestion for this might be to take a week and have that be Military Service Week. During that week, they could have a

different branch of service come in to talk to the students each day. For example, Monday: Army; Tuesday: Navy; Wednesday: Air Force; Thursday: Marines; Friday: National Guard,

Coast Guard and Reservists. Next could be Career Days or Week. This could involve speakers from different fields of

careers, coming to talk to the students about the specifics of their job, talk about a typical day at work, what to expect, etc. A suggestion for this would be to divide up different fields and

concentrate on that particular field that day. For example, one day could be all about health careers, which would involve doctors, nurses, physical therapists, chiropractors, cardiologists, surgeons, x-ray technicians, dentists, dental hygienists, etc. Another day might be for writers

and would involve technical writers, authors, editors, journalists, etc. There could be a business day, including business owners and managers, lawyers, CEOs, Presidents of a company,

paralegals, executive assistants, etc. The main idea here is for the students to get this first-hand experience to talk to professionals

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Cost and Materials

The cost for all this could be relatively cheap and simple. In fact, if approached correctly, most

of the speakers could come to school as a voluntary request to help inform the youth. Many companies even have Civic Time that employees could use to volunteer their time to talk to

students about their careers, and still get paid out of civic time, rather than their vacation time. The schools could start by polling parents to see who might be interested in being a speaker. Then, they could branch out more for other speakers.

Military recruiters for the various branches of service have free access to our nation’s high

schools, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). They are always looking for recruits, and are usually happy to visit schools. The one challenge might be lining them all up over one week. This could be expanded over two weeks’ time if

needed to fit in all the branches. Or, they could combine a couple of branches on certain days. The volunteer organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big

Sisters, etc. could be approached similarly. Organizations like this always need help and volunteers, and should be happy to come and talk to students about their organization. So, if speakers are approached in this way, to come and talk to the students about their career and

organization, this should come out to little to no cost to the school. Any cost that does come out of it should be easily recouped by grant money.

Timeline

The assemblies and lining up of speakers will consist of scheduled events by the school. It is definitely something that can be planned and fit in to the 2015-2016 school year.

Personnel

This will involve more time and involvement of the school staff, in lining up student advisors for

the buddy system and matching students up, lining up speakers for career and military days, and lining up speakers from volunteer organizations. Although, a little more time and planning by the staff could have big end results to the students, which is the end result desired, in providing

the best education and direction for students, both inside and outside of school.

Feasibility

Feasibility is high because it involves mentoring and teamwork from the student advisors, which is helpful and promotes a better atmosphere and better communication among students and their

peers from the start of school. And providing positive role models in careers gives students more to look forward to and strive toward in their future endeavors.

Benefits

The benefits here are big in all areas. With the mentors, positive role models in careers, and speakers from volunteer organizations, these things all help promote positive choices and goals

to students, both in their future careers and in helping other people, and benefitting themselves and their communities.

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Drugs and alcohol are all too prevalent in high schools. With more positive choices and role

models being presented to students, it gives them more things to look forward to and healthier choices to lean towards. Mentors help provide camaraderie and assistance in getting acclimated

to a new school, and can also help combat bullying, as there is safety in numbers. If considered and put into place, this proposed plan can help students academically and socially in high school. The volunteer programs offered can help positively impact both the community

and the student who is volunteering. The career days and visits by speakers will help them prepare fully for a career that they are more informed about and can make a better decision when

deciding on their career and choice of college. This can also help prevent students from going into a career blindly and changing their minds later, proving to be costly when it comes to more education needed to change careers.

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WORKS CITED

Horn, Heather. (2013, Nov. 25). More School, Less Spirit. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/more-school- less-spirit-why-young-

people-are-drinking- less-alcohol/281759/ Make Beats Not Beat Downs. (2009). Facts & Statistics. The numbers continue to rise every

month. Retrieved from: http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/facts_new.html

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2010). More adolescents use alcohol than cigarettes or marijuana. Retrieved from: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking/UnderageFact.htm

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014, Dec.). Drug Facts: High School and Youth Trends.

Retrieved from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (2015, Feb. 5). Man convicted in heroin death of O’Fallon, IL high

school student. Retrieved from: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-convicted-in-heroin-death-of-o-fallon- ill-high/article_dde0421f-cb95-5c53-a345-

0d9ca262a929.html Tilve, Priyanka. (2013, Aug. 8). Illinois High School to Snip Students’ Hair to Test for Alcohol

Use. Good Morning America. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/US/illinois-high-school-snip-students-hair-test-alcohol/story?id=19896307

U.S. Department of Education. (2002, Oct. 9). Policy Guidance – Access to High School Students and Information on Students by Military Recruiters. Retrieved from:

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/hottopics/ht-10-09-02a.html