Central Huron Secondary School celebrates co-op program with biannual breakfast

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

For many years, Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) has been offering high school students the chance to gain valuable work experience with local businesses through its popular co-op program. Participating in a co-op not only lets students explore potential career paths they find interesting before entering their post-secondary life, it allows them to build community connections and those connections then spark professional passion in young people. Over the years, it has become a CHSS tradition to hold a bi-annual breakfast to show appreciation for all the hard-working supervisors, teachers, employers and students who make the program such a success. One such morning meal transpired last Wednesday, in celebration of this year’s semester.

 

Mike Dietz of Diesel & Sons Electric Ltd in Bayfield participated in the program for the first time this year and found it to be an all-around positive experience. “It’s been good - it’s been really good! It’s been a pretty seamless process... there’s nothing bad to say about it - I’d definitely do it again.” He credited the program’s organizers for making it easy for employers to participate. “They pretty well take care of everything, to be honest with you.” Dietz also really enjoyed the appreciation breakfast. “It was awesome!” he exclaimed.

 

CHSS student John Neutel received on-the-job training in household wiring, mounting electrical boxes, installing lights and a variety of other skills that will be a real leg-up if he chooses to pursue a career as an electrician. Neutel learned a lot through the training he received at Diesel & Sons. “It’s been a great experience,” he said. “Love it.” Following his co-op, he started an apprenticeship at Fanshawe College. “Regularly, you can’t do it until you’ve been at the job site for two years, and now I’m doing it in high school. It’s a big step ahead.” After the apprenticeship, he hopes to get his licence so he can start brightening people’s lives. As for this up-and-coming electrician’s opinion on his well-earned breakfast? “It was really good.”

 

Many semesters’ worth of students looking to learn more about a career in healthcare have done their co-op at the nearby Clinton Public Hospital, where they learn by interacting with patients and observing the various procedures of a working rural hospital. This year, hospital staff counted three students among their ranks. Janine DeJong is a Registered Nurse at CPH, as well as the team leader of the hospital’s Emergency Room and In-Patient Unit. “They've been great students this semester,” she explained. “It’s just a great opportunity for them to be able to have exposure to different disciplines in the healthcare system. They’ve been able to shadow nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, diagnostic imaging, x-ray, and ultrasound.” DeJong is happy to be part of the student learning experience every year. “It’s an amazing opportunity for students to have exposure to different job opportunities and different workplaces that they may or may not be interested in, so they can learn and make a decision for their future…. And the breakfast is great!”

 

Linda Street recognizes how advantageous it is to have co-op students around. Street handles sales and marketing for The Benmiller Inn, and she appreciates how much they can contribute to the guest experience. The inn has trained young people in all facets of the hospitality industry, and this semester, Grade 11 student Shawn Wijnsma was chosen to focus on the culinary side of the business. “Shawn has an amazing knowledge of the kitchen and how it operates, how to add to it, and how to make things flow smoothly,” assessed Street. 

 

Wijnsma spent his co-op learning kitchen safety, cooking, pressure management, customer service skills, and the value of making delicious food. He’s even spent some time running the entire kitchen! Street added, “Shawn just basically picked up the ball and ran with it - he did an amazing job of leading the crew that’s in the kitchen.”

 

Wijnsma has really risen to the challenge of working in a bustling kitchen, but he’s not ready to commit to life on the line. “I like cooking, and I’d already worked there for a little while before this, so it was an opportunity for me at the time. It’s not what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I enjoyed doing it... I really enjoyed the cooking - it’s just the hours that aren’t the best. Working nights and weekends isn’t so fun when you’re young!” Wijnsma and Street both confessed that they enjoyed the breakfast.
Robert’s Farm Equipment is known for its excellent customer service, and the one who keeps all that excellence in order is Chasity Caesar, service writer. She schedules the appointments and organizes the days of the team of technicians that keep essential farm equipment up and running during the crucial growing season. Students at Robert’s get to spend time working alongside qualified technicians, learning how to fix farm equipment, and Caesar found that this season’s assistants were a welcome addition to the team. “I like to joke around with them, and they took to that pretty well. We’re a pretty close-knit crew at Robert’s Farm Equipment, and they were able to fit in very well.” One of the students, Noah Robinson will be starting an apprenticeship there in July. Caesar also felt the breakfast was a great event. “It’s really awesome that they did this for all the people helping out the co-op students. It’s a pretty cool experience to be here.”

 

Robinson, who also enjoyed the breakfast, spent his childhood on a farm, which inspired his current post-secondary trajectory. “Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been around tractors, and that’s always kind of where I wanted to go.” Working at Robert’s felt like a natural choice. “I went in as a co-op student in February, and over the past few months, I’ve really enjoyed it. I got the opportunity for an apprenticeship there, so I’ll start my career there.”

 

Shane Taylor, the head of the Co-op Department at CHSS, expressed gratitude to all who had come for the breakfast. “We’ve got an amazing group of high school kids and supervisors this semester, and we want to thank all of you. Without supervisors and co-op placements, we don’t have anywhere for our kids to go. Without you guys, none of this works. We have 40 teachers in the building who are mentors, and we have 40 supervisors in the community. It takes a village to raise a kid.”