Post-High School Prep at City Charter High School
Our “Workforce Culture” Post High School Planning Team prepares students for their professional life after high school. Before graduating, every student will have a real world experience to explore a potential career.
Post-High School Guidance
For most students the process of college, trade schools, apprenticeships or employment seems overwhelming, and that’s why City High has invested in a Post-High School Planning Team. Here are some of the ways we prepare our students:
- Every student will receive their own FREE laptop for use 24/7.
- Every student will learn resume writing skills and create their own personal resume before exploring an internship.
- Every student can become certified in Microsoft Office and Adobe software.
- Every student will review their transcripts and GPA long before starting college applications to see where they need to adjust their academic efforts.
- Every student will explore the real-world workplace in a junior- or senior-year internship.
- Every student will have access to for-credit college classes.
- Every student will meet weekly one-on-one with their counselor to help them navigate college or scholarship applications, apprenticeship programs, trade school applications, ROTC/ military programs or employment plans.
- Every student will receive individual help with filling out their FAFSA forms to receive financial aid.
College/Career Planning
City High’s College & Career Development begins on day one with a team dedicated to helping you find your future.
At City High, we support a culture of professionalism that prepares students to succeed on their post high-school paths… whatever they might be. Whether it’s college… a job… an apprenticeship… a specialized skill or trade school, each student has a team helping him or her to unlock their full potential. And it all begins right at the start.
It’s a three-pronged team approach incorporating career planning, an internship and post-high school counseling.
1. Career Planning Begins Students’ Freshman Year
All City High students take a sequence of trimester-long (13 week) courses in grades 9-11 designed to introduce them to the world of work and support them in researching and mapping their own career interests. They will also begin to look at college and evaluate what they will need to do in the upcoming high school years to make that possible.
Our students are exposed early on to things like a resume, transcript and “GPA”. They learn all aspects of professionalism and the importance of personal initiative, teamwork, punctuality, attendance and dress code, and the importance of looking forward in respect to class selection as it relates to college. Underclassmen also gain first-hand wisdom from seniors, alumni and career professionals in the fields and colleges that interest them in their Workforce Literacy classes.
Workforce Literacy is the foundational structure for a successful internship. The internship manager helps the students understand where they need to be and what they need to know by the time they go to their internship. Then we prepare them in the classroom with forward-thinking educators sharing useful skills.... to ensure that our students graduate prepared for both college (or other pathways to adulthood) AND fulfilling, responsible, self- sustaining careers.
2. Required Internship Experience Prepares Students for the Real-World
The internship is the best way to get first-hand exposure before committing to a career direction, so early preparation is important. At orientation, students – and their families – are introduced to the concept of internships and it being a graduation requirement. Students start off by completing a “career survey” and eventually use their “dream board” from 9th grade to narrow in on an internship. Throughout their weekly Career Literacy classes, they gain the skills needed to pursue these dreams. So that by the time they’re in their 3rd year, they are fully ready to head out into the community to put their skills into practice.
According to City High internship managers, “In the 11th grade, we meet one-on-one with every student and start to show them what they’ve demonstrated here in school using all the data from 10th grade and compare that to where they think they’re going. For instance, if they want to be a school teacher and they’ve been volunteering at the library once a week reading to children, we explain how they are not just telling us, they’re showing us that this is what they’re interested in doing. If they’re not on the right track to reach their goals, it’s still early enough to spark them into addressing areas that might need improvement.”
“Then from those interviews, we start to formulate where we will be sending them for their internships. Knowing that the internship may not be exactly in the industry that they’re looking for, but offers transferable skills. So wherever they’re going, what we teach them in school will apply.”
3. Weekly Career & College Counseling as Students Take Ownership of Their Future
At City High, every student is assigned a Transition Manager to facilitate post-high school success by helping students identify a viable career path, determining its educational and skill requirements, and taking concrete steps along that path while they are still in high school. The Transition Managers fulfill a broader role than the traditional high school counselor, as they oversee the post-high school planning process for each student, including alumni follow-up. They meet their students weekly throughout the senior year to help them make the transition to their post high school goals and all that’s required to get there: whether they’re headed to college, to work, to the military, to a trade program or choose specialized career training. We don’t judge any of their choices and we help them get real about what they need to do to get there.
This department philosophy requires our team to help students explore colleges or schools that fit their academic skills, interests and ability levels. We facilitate the entire process – from college/military placement tests, to employment applications, For-credit college courses, deadlines, financial aid and scholarships. To summarize the role: It’s really important to know that the City High Post-High School Planning Team are student advocates who facilitate students becoming advocates for themselves. They help find a path that is best for the kids — one that is realistically aligned with the students’ abilities and allows them to achieve in life after high school.
As one City High team member puts it, “We listen to them and we empower them to take ownership of their future. That’s really our job.”
Alumni Support
Supporting students AFTER graduation is also part of the success equation at City Charter High School. We host alumni speakers and networking opportunities for our graduates.
We also dedicate an entire website just for City Charter High School graduates. This valuable resource for alumni contains:
- A List of Area Job Openings
- A Calendar Of Alumni Events/Networking Opportunities
- An Online Job Search
- A Form to Request Transcripts
- Spotlights on Classmates
- News about City High
- A Place to Share High School Memories/Connect With Classmates
Questions or Concerns?
Contact:
City Charter High School Post High School Planning Team
Matthew Kizior
Workforce Literacy Career
kizior@cityhigh.org
Martin Schenck
Workforce Literacy Career
schenck@cityhigh.org
Patti Kretschman
Internship Manager
kretschman@cityhigh.org
Keiha Drummond
Internship Manager
drummond@cityhigh.org
Antonietta Riley
Transition Manager
riley@cityhigh.org
Erica Vasquez
Transition Manager
vasquez@cityhigh.org