Nixa work-study preparing students for life after high school
Originally written and published by Sarah Teague for the Christian County Headliner on Feb. 13, 2018. Click here to be directed to the original posting. Featured photos by Sarah Teague: Nixa senior Mason Brown, left, has worked in Nixa High School’s kitchen through a work-study program and now works part-time at Price Cutter. “My favorite part, is just doing my best,” he said. Right, senior Amanda Hackett works alongside Brown in the kitchen. “I would rather work, help out and get paid more than being lazy and sitting around,” she said.
Water has risen above her toes now, but she presses on — rinsing each lunch tray and sending it to the dishwasher. Frequently greeted by the staff milling about behind her, she keeps up with the lunch rush.
Amanda Hackett has mastered this routine — receive, rinse, wash and repeat. It’s a routine she’s grown to enjoy. Her peer, Nixa High School senior Mason Brown, 18, clears the water at her feet, and jumps into the routine with her, keeping up with her pace.
Hackett, a 19-year-old senior, has worked for a work-study program through her school since spring 2017. Sodexo, a global “quality of life” company that provides services from housekeeping to custodial services to food service, pays the eight students who currently work for the school.
Joy Finney, Nixa Public Schools transition coordinator, said in the two years she’s been with Nixa, the pre-existing program has expanded.
“We have about 175 students that could qualify,” Finney said. “But what we do is, the teacher watches the students, and we try to pull juniors and seniors, mostly, because they are the closest to needing a post-secondary job.”
Finney said qualifications to join the work-study vary per student. Sometimes teachers nominate a student based on his or her needs, or, on strengths. It’s up to teachers from every grade level to observe and identify when a student may need extra help or a new, motivating opportunity.
“One of the things we look for is social need,” Finney said. “Can they make eye contact? Do they have the nerve to ask questions? Can they follow instructions? Those are pieces that we want to build and embed in them.”
The work-study program provides various duties throughout the school. Some students solely work with Nixa High School’s custodial team, taking out trash and recycling, general cleaning in the cafeteria and high-traffic areas and cleaning out trash bins.
Other students work in the kitchen. Finney said the outcome of this workstation has been so positive, the students run the entire “tray area.” Finney said kitchen duties include rinsing trays, sending them through the dishwasher and then sorting them, as well as washing out pots and pans for the cooks.
“I was very shy, I didn’t know how to meet new people (before working),” Brown said. “My favorite part, is just doing my best. (My teachers) expect me to do my best. I think (this program) makes it easier for people who haven’t had a job (before).”
But their hard work, for custodial and kitchen duties, are paid.
Finney said students understand this program is a job, and are expected to uphold those standards — students must fill out timesheets, and let their supervisors know if they must miss work. Every three weeks, students are reviewed on their performance.
Bridget Blankenship, director of Nutrition Services for Sodexo in Nixa, said students working in custodial services or the kitchen are paid minimum wage, but some who have been working for a longer period of time and who uphold positive reviews are paid more.
Finney said the students are shown appreciation through this pay, but also through the connections made with the staff.
“(The students) work so hard for that paycheck, and it makes them feel so appreciated and honored to have that ownership in the school,” Finney said. “The cooks and custodians have embraced them. They take them in as part of the team. … If (the staff) have a celebration of some kind, (the students) are included in that and are not left out.”
There are unpaid positions students can volunteer for as well, which do not fall under Sodexo, but are supported by the school. These duties include the Working and Integrating in Nixa for Growth and Success program, which allows students to take a coffee and treat cart to the teachers.
The treats sold to teachers are prepared by students in the “Birdhouse,” which is a place students can cook and sell what they’ve made. There is also a print shop to sort mail, make deliveries and shred papers, and work is provided in the school library.
But Finney wants to expand these volunteer workstations into the community. Right now, she is working with a thrift shop to allow students to volunteer working outside of the school in a storefront, as well as taking students to sites that may interest them — the zoo for animal enthusiasts, or CoxHealth for those interested in the medical field.
Hackett, after working in the kitchen for a year now, has plans to continue this work after school. She said she started because she knew she would graduate soon and needed experience.
“I knew (other) kids were (working) and I also wanted that experience,” Hackett said. “I thought, ‘I need to learn how to get a job before I’m out of school.’ My favorite part is being able to do the dishes and cleaning after myself while I’m working because I like a clean area. I would rather work, help out and get paid more than being lazy and sitting around.”
Brown wants to stay with Price Cutter for now, and after high school aspires to attend college. He finds it easier to meet people now.
“After high school, I want to go to OTC,” Brown said. “I want to study culinary (arts).”
Finney said support from the community is always appreciated, especially now as Nixa works to expand job opportunities for its students.
“The kids have been so successful … (so Sodexo) has been open-armed to letting our students in, so I’ve been very appreciative to Sodexo for giving us that opportunity,” Finney said. “That’s what I need from the community — just to open up their arms. There is a lot that can be done (with the program) — a lot we would like to do, if we can just embrace it together, and make it happen.”
