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McFarland Business & Education Partnership reports DECA, SkillsUSA wins, expands mentoring and employer-led student opportunities
Summary
At a March 3 McFarland School District Board meeting, Business & Education Partnership presenters summarized recent student successes at DECA and SkillsUSA, previewed upcoming career-focused events, and sought volunteers for mentoring and senior exit interviews.
Turnitzer, a presenter for the Business and Education Partnership, told the McFarland School District Board on March 3 that DECA and SkillsUSA students recently competed at district and state levels and that several students qualified for higher-level competitions.
The presentation summarized district DECA results: Turnitzer said 54 McFarland competitors participated at districts, producing 16 exam medalists, 24 role-play medalists, five automatic qualifiers, 10 honorable mentions and 19 qualifiers to State. "We do believe that we have 2 to 4 people going to the international competition, which is being held in Orlando in April," Turnitzer said.
The presenters also reported that SkillsUSA participation is growing (about 20 students currently) and previewed spring events: a career expo and advising night, a Reality Zone on March 18, and senior exit interviews May 22–23. Turnitzer asked the board and community to recruit volunteers for the Reality Zone and the senior exit interviews.
The group described a Student Employee Excellence Award the BEP runs monthly; students are nominated by employers and surprised with a recognition presentation. Turnitzer named recent winners — Tyler Brockhoff (November), Aubrey Berg (December), Kendall Reiman (January) and Trent Bremer (most recent) — and said winners are honored with family and employer present.
Presenters discussed school–business collaborations and fundraising ideas: putting announcement screens in buildings, partnerships between CTE courses and special education, shared T-shirts for incoming students, and sponsorships for rebranding costs. Turnitzer said local businesses will be prioritized for sponsorship and outreach.
On mentoring and middle-school supports, presenters reported the Indian Mound mentor program has 20 volunteer mentors and plans to recruit 10–15 more to reach 30–35 mentors. "We are looking at more towards that sixth and seventh grade level," Turnitzer said, and identified Fred Barton (spelled both Baartman/Barton in the transcript) as the contact for mentor program involvement.
The presentation closed with an invitation to community members to help with career-on-wheels and other mobile career outreach; Turnitzer said the partnership will follow up with more details to board members.
The update was informational; no formal action was taken on these items at the meeting.
