WHHS Life Skills Camp a success thanks to community
Ron Carnagie works with a group of WHHS students on doing some electrical work, one of the many life skills taught during the Holmes Extension Office’s Life Skills Camp at West Holmes.
Phase two of the Ohio State University Holmes County Extension’s Life Skills Camp for area high school students was completed Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 14-15 when dozens of area business leaders provided advice on some of the simple life skills many people take for granted.
West Holmes High School was inundated by local leaders who presented their stories to small groups throughout classrooms in the school, and Janessa Hill, extension office educator, said the events for Hiland and West Holmes went as well as she could have hoped.
“We had wonderful participation from so many area leaders who were willing to share their experience and insight with these young people,” Hill said. “These life skills are something that every person can utilize as they grow into adulthood.”
The speakers shared their experiences in their respective fields and businesses, as well as advice on how to accomplish many life tasks.
Dr. Eric Shaver of East Holmes Veterinary Clinic and Nick Crider, owner of Rigz Towing, were brought in to discuss entrepreneurship.
The students there received that and much more.
Shaver talked to them about the three “abilities,” those being availability, affability and ability.
“If you’re not available, your business won’t go anywhere. And we are in a customer service business, whether we’re a veterinarian or towing business. We are a customer service business, and for us, the animals don’t pay the bills. Their owners pay the bills. Also, people expect us to have ability, and anyone coming in to work for me, if they are open-minded, want to come to work and are willing to learn, we can teach the ability. It’s putting yourself in position to succeed that young people have to grasp,” Shaver said.
Crider said trust, responsibility and teamwork were the three traits anyone entering the work world needs for both individuals and businesses to succeed.
“It takes all of us working together inside that framework to succeed,” Crider said. “If things fall apart at any point in the process, a company probably loses that customer.”
Both agreed mistakes happen, but when people are willing to step up and take responsibility, it leads to communication that helps any business grow.
“If I can teach these kids or give them advice on how to do something, we all win,” Crider said. “Right now a missing key is respect and lack or responsibility and teamwork. It’s important for us to share our knowledge and encourage these young people to really grasp the importance of these traits in today’s society and in the business world.”
Paul Trent of Trent Insurance Group spoke to a group of students about the insurance world.
He said his association with the Ohio Farm Bureau over a span of many years brought him to want to participate in the event.
Trent said he looks back on his days in high school and thinks about the many things he didn’t know or understand as a teenager preparing to enter adulthood, and he wishes he had someone tell him many of the things these kids were hearing.
He said all of these everyday occurrences that are vital to succeeding in life may not seem that important, and many young people don’t pay any attention to them until they are facing the challenge of getting car insurance, paying bills, changing a tire and many other things being shared throughout the two days.
“If I could go back in time to my days in school and learn some of the things being shared today, it would be incredibly beneficial, and I’d do it in a heartbeat,” Trent said. “Teaching our kids to think about these everyday things they will need to know once they move out of their parents’ homes is crucial.”
Trent knows of what he speaks. He said while in college his living quarters suffered a major fire and he lost everything he owned. He didn’t have insurance, nor did he know it was even a possibility for a college student to have insurance.
“It would have been nice to learn that,” Trent said. “Hopefully, some of what we are sharing during this will sink in and make an impact because it’s incredibly useful information.”
Not only is all of the information shared during the two days important to learn as young adults enter the adult world, but also the event provided a chance for the young people to gain insight into a possible place of employment if they choose to remain in the area.
Many of the graduates in Holmes County choose to return, so gaining insight into possible jobs and hearing these business people speak about their roles in the community can create a spark of interest in a young person that could lead them to pursue that field.
Scott Pringle, WHHS principal, said the event provides the students with an opportunity to hear more from the community members and get a sense of what it’s like to be involved in community service as well as hearing about jobs that could be of interest to them.
“We live in a community where we do have a lot of kids graduate and we know that many of them will choose to move away, but many of them also want to work and live in this community because they have experienced the type of caring and giving community we live in,” Pringle said. “If they do select a career that allows them to come home, our community always is very excited to give them those opportunities.”
As the inaugural year of the extension office’s Life Skills Camp ends, Hill said it was a venture well worth the effort, and she is grateful so many community leaders were willing to step up and become a part of the process that taught many life skills that fall through the cracks at school.