On Friday afternoon April 21, Riverbend Middle School enjoyed a Life Skills Expo where 29 local business and civic leaders helped seventh and eighth graders master skills that will come in handy as they approach adulthood. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
By Pauline Masson –
I read once that children are the smartest that they will ever be at age four because they are reaching for everything they desire without the ubiquitous “No” that will fill most of their childhood.
But I have a different theory. I think middle schoolers are the smartest they will be because they are approaching adulthood just before they enter that ‘super teen’ peer pressure time when other teens will keep them in check. And one Riverbend Middle School teacher added weight to my theory.
Mrs. Jenna Alt, who teaches Family and Consumer Sciences – what some of us remember as Home Economics – at Riverbend, thought her seventh and eighth grade students had reached the stage of self determination where they could master a wide range of everyday skills they will face in an adult world.
Mrs. Alt says there are many skills that young people will find useful in their everyday grown up lives and with their innate knack for learning, middle school is the perfect place to acquire them
She approached Riverbend principals Todd Dempsey and Ken Grodie with the idea and they agreed. Suddenly, planning for temporary classrooms for 29 volunteers to demostrate skills to about 20 students in a 35-minute session – and do it two more times – occupied Mrs. Alt and the entire faculty of Riverbend Schoool
Mrs. Alt and her helpers put together a one-day Life Skills Expo to introduce middle schooler to skills that will come in handy as they enter adulthood: how to get a job, take care of their money and their car, how to hammer a nail, change a tire, make an omelet.
She contacted local businesses and organizations to volunteer to illustrate the techniques for their specialty and to her surprise 29 businesses signed up to become teachers for a day.
“Of the twenty nine volunteers, twenty-two of these businesses are located in Pacific or are owned by a Pacific graduate,” Mrs. Alt said.
It should be noted that in addition to the 29 business and civic volunteers, Riverbend faculty members signed up to assest presenters in each session.
Each student was able choose three skills they were ready to tackle. To help students make their choice Mrs. Alt created a fancy slide show introducing each of the presenters and describing what they would teach. Students could view the slide show on their computers and sign up on line.
“Students were allowed to get on and sign up for the three sessions they wanted to attend,” Mrs. Alt said. “All sessions had a cap of 20 students. So the business could potentially see 60 students in the three times they did their presentation.”
At 12:20 on April 21, Riverbend School was turned into a life skills extravaganza as volunteers went to their assigned locations to demonstrate their specialty and 465 seventh and eighth graders each learned three new skills.
Among the unexpected choices middle schoolers showed they could master were: How to use power tools, change a tire, set a hook on a fishing pole, hit a nail square on the head with a hammer, put out a fire with a fire extinguisher.
Students already thinking of careers could get tips on how to fill out a job application, and how prepare for an interview,
Everyday life skills they will need as adults were: how to start saving money, clean and detail their car, make a bed properly, plan a meal, set a table, know which fork to use at a fancy banquet, and make a perfect omelet,
Tips on personal care included: how to keep fit with exercise, how to protect yourself, and how to apply everyday makeup, do simple hair updos, which Mrs. Alt pointed out, was popular with coeds thinking of an upcoming Riverbend party.
Hobby skills included: how to get good lightning and poses while taking pictures, how to care for animals and how to plant and care for plants.
And just to be well rounded adults, they could learn how weather is predicted, how to vote and how votes are counted, what to do in an emergency, and in case they are thinking of a military future, how to march in formation.
Community volunteers who brought their specialty to the middle schoolers were:
American Sign Language-Torri Ryder; aRay of Events; Big G Tire; Carpentry-Tim Richardson; Dash Studios; Dean’s Auto Cleaning; First Community Bank; Forgotten Skills-Mary Beth Schmidt; Four Rivers Career Center; Franklin County Clerk-Tim Baker;
Gardening- Alice Cignetti; Healthy Balance Chiropractor; Lawler Counseling Services; Meramec Ambulance District; Meteorology-Stacy Lynn; Missouri Department of Conservation; Missouri Farm Bureau; Missouri Egg Board
MO Misfit Photography; Pacific Animal Hospital; Pacific Fire Department; Pacific High School ROTC; Pound Fitness-Latasha Skouby; Rolla RDPC; Self Defense-Dan Velten; Simply Esthetics; Spectrum Journalism; and Vilcek Catering.
Thank You for again spotlighting the POSITIVES THAT ARE Occurring in The Meramec Valley School District
Our youth are our future and from observing the Students at Riverbend at the Skills Day we are going to be in GOOD HANDS
Thank you for featuring the Riverbend Middle School Student Skills Day! Mrs. Alt, 2023 MVR-III Teacher of Year, worked collaboratively with community partners and District staff to make this memorable event for the students. We are proud to have her in our team and appreciate the difference she is making for MVR-III students.
Another great article by Pauline Masson
Three things that were dropped form most schools over the last decade or longer that really was a grave omission : basic and specialty shop classes, home economics and home management and drivers ed classroom and driving instruction. Excuses given, mostly lame, were high liability insurance cost, lack of qualified instructors and supposed lack of student interest. Four rivers does and excellent job , but there remains travel and scheduling problems.
Very glad to see local groups come forward to show pre-high school youth some great ideas and possibilities for their future.