In mid-February, a number of our business and education partners joined us for a virtual workshop with Cardinal Manufacturing, a company within the Eleva-Strum High School where students learn about manufacturing and business management and gain firsthand experience. While the focus was on the manufacturing business, we had representatives from all of the REACH programs (healthcare, human service, building trades, and agribusiness) to find inspiration from one teachers great idea. The workshop was 3.5 hours of fascinating and invaluable information and discussion have already started to happen to explore the idea of a "teaching business" for each of our school cohorts. If you would like to view the recording of the workshop, contact Nicole.

As we move into March, students are planning summer activities and jobs. Typically, juniors are encouraged to seek internship/work experience and/or more training during summer months. This could look like a nursing assistant training, specific courses at MN State College Southeast, an internship at a local manufacturer, or direct work experience for a local business partner.

Finally, we look forward to celebrating graduation with our seniors. Once the school has made a decision about what graduation will look like in June, our REACH partners will be notified of how we plan to recognize our students.

REACH graduates who continue their education in a related field of study at a Winona college or university are eligible to apply for the REACH scholarship of up to $1,000 per school year. With the lack of events due to current health restrictions, we have not had the opportunity to add to the scholarship fund in over 12 months. Please consider a small donation to support our REACH graduates of 2021.

The REACH program works closely with local business partners to offer paid internships to our students. The purpose of an internship and/or guided work experience is to provide an opportunity for a student to receive the guidance necessary to succeed in their first direct employment opportunity. During this time, a student will work in a specific area of a business with time to explore other career opportunities. In addition, at least one performance review will be performed in the presence of the REACH Program Manager in order to support additional learning through feedback.

Internships are coordinated by the REACH Program Manager with the support and guidance of the Department of Labor Youth Skills Training Program. A great deal of preparation and planning is put into providing a safe and educational experience for each student. We are currently in the process of adding new internship sites, especially now that we have expanded to two more school districts.