Announcer (00:01): Highlighting the amazing stories from inside the North Clackamas School district. This is the proud To Be NCSD podcast, hosted by longtime principal and current community relations director, Curtis Long.

Ferris Bueller movie (00:14): In 1930, the Republican controlled House of Representatives in an effort to alleviate the effects of the anyone, anyone. Great depression past the anyone. Anyone.

Curtis Long (00:28): Oh, pass the alarm clock and wake up for this very special edition of the Proud to Be NNC s D podcast. And today's episode is geared toward anyone, oh, sorry,

Ferris Bueller movie (00:39): Anyone. Anyone

Curtis Long (00:41): Who has sat in a classroom lecture like the one depicted in the 1986 classic movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. How

Ferris Bueller movie (00:47): Could I possibly be expected to handle school in a day like this?

Curtis Long (00:50): Well, it is a very special day on the podcast because we're taking today's show on the road and we've hopped on a bus along with about 1400 North Clackamas high school juniors from Milwaukee, Rex Putnam Clackamas, and Adrienne C Nelson High Schools, along with NCSD students from the Clackamas Web Academy, Clackamas Middle College, and our virtual online program, our destination, we're at the Oregon Convention Center in downtown Portland, home of the one day annual Northwest Youth Careers Expo sponsored by the Portland Workforce Alliance. Today's field trip for all of our district's, high school juniors, along with many other surrounding school districts, is to show students the amazing diversity of career opportunities in our region and offers information about the skills and education needed for those jobs. So what will our 1400 North Clackamas students be doing here today? The

Ferris Bueller movie (01:39): Question isn't, what are we going to do? The question is, what aren't we going to do?

Curtis Long (01:42): As you'll hear throughout today's unique podcast, we'll follow kids around as they visit more than 200 booths organized by job categories like arts and communication, technology, engineering, healthcare construction, and design, manufacturing, and much more. We'll also listen in on mock interviews taking place in a separate wing where kids can practice how to make themselves stand out to employers.

Interviewer (02:04): And if you were to think about your career in 20 years, what are you doing?

Student Interviewee (02:08): Maybe working in like a startup business or maybe being an architect, cuz that was another one of the kind of careers I was interested in. Like last year I did an architectural class from my school

Interviewer (02:21): Well if you would have any, we would love to host you for a tour around our office, cuz I work in architecture and kind of show you what we do.

Curtis Long (02:28): At each booth on the main floor, students can talk directly with professionals from different companies and colleges about career training options.

Booth speaker (02:36): If my trade's not for you, check out any of these union trades down here, man. So if you guys want to try out the virtual machines at all, no. Yeah, jump in there.

Curtis Long (02:47): And how about a little bonus recognition for our school district superintendent, Dr. Shay James started the day as one of the events featured keynote speakers. Thank

Shay James (02:55): You to all of you in the room who support and provide career experiences. Kids are inspired to graduate, they're inspired to pursue careers many never thought were possible and inspired to one day provide a future high school student, the same opportunity that they once had as a PWA participant.

Curtis Long (03:14): Okay, before we cruise around the convention center floor to hear the inside perspectives of North Clackamas students, you may be wondering how did these NCSD students prepare for today's expo? How are some of them here with print-ready professional resumes and many have lists of questions already prepared to ask college representatives or potential employers. For those answers and more, let's turn to Kim Amador, who this year is serving as a teacher on special assignment in N C S D and coordinating the district's high school student success program. Kim, how excited are you about having 1400 North Clackamas students here in the convention center participating in the Youth Careers Expo?

Kim Amador (03:48): Oh, it's so exciting to have so many students being able to be back in person, being able to communicate with industry leaders and colleges and universities and be able to have this opportunity to network and really envision their future. It's very exciting to be here now.

Curtis Long (04:04): As I look out over the floor, I see students from Milwaukie High, from Putnam, from Clackamas, from Adrienne C Nelson. We've got Clackamas Web Academy, Clackamas Middle Colleges here. How difficult was it to coordinate an effort that brings 1400 kids from our district here?

Kim Amador (04:18): It's definitely been a logistical undertaking. <laugh> for sure. Just being able to work with leadership at each school, really work with teachers to help promote the opportunity. Our college and career readiness teachers have been very integral to this event in terms of advertising it, preparing students, helping them to envision their own futures and help them to connect with potential pathways that are gonna really help them thrive in this life.

Curtis Long (04:48): You know, one of the things that stands out immediately is that these North Clackamas students, they're prepared. They've got their talking points, they've got their questions ready, some of them even have resumes dressed for success. I'm sure many of our listeners didn't know. Our district now has a required course for freshman and juniors focused on college and career readiness. Tell us about that, what it entails and how it came to be.

Kim Amador (05:08): Wonderful. Well it started with Measure 98, really an equity mission to support all students with removing barriers to becoming who they wanna be in this world. Really about helping every student be college and career ready. And so it started with the 11th grade class, which is a class that really focuses on career pathways, post secondary options, financial literacy and job readiness. And with that we started a foundational course that just is being piloted this year in ninth grade that is really a foundation to that class. So really trying to capture students' interests and curiosities earlier and earlier so that they can be most prepared.

Curtis Long (05:49): What have you seen as the biggest rewards of providing students with college and career classes?

Kim Amador (05:53): Oh, the rewards are just when they make those connections, the spark goes off. Just really like tapping into anything is possible. Like really finding that there's infinite possibilities and options and that there are people and caring adults that are there to help them along the way.

Curtis Long (06:10): What do you hope North Clackamas students get out of today?

Kim Amador (06:12): Oh gosh. I hope that they come away just inspired and feel like they are supported in, in all their dreams and that they can make those networks and really start to plan each step of the way to get to that potential.

Curtis Long (06:27): What do you think this says about our school district that we, even by we, I mean that you and your department have committed to bringing every high school junior in our district this opportunity to be here today?

Kim Amador (06:36): I think it just means that we have just an amazing team of leadership that really supports student success for every student. Really about removing those barriers and really helping to make sure that we as a collective, as a community are here for our youth. Just thank you so much for the partnership with Portland Workforce Alliance. They have been so integral in terms of connecting us with these big industries and colleges and universities and traits and apprentice programs, just connecting caring adults who have been through it and remember what it's like to be as a youth or be young and you know, kind of figuring out what your path is. And so this partnership has been so important to our district and we're just grateful.

Curtis Long (07:20): And we're grateful you've decided to hop on the bus and come along on our first ever Proud To Be NCSD podcast field trip here at the Portland Workforce Alliances Northwest Youth Careers Expo. You've already heard why NCSD High School juniors are excited to be taking role at the Oregon Convention Center instead of back in class. But this isn't a day off. Still ahead, we'll listen in on students mock job interviews. How well can they sell themselves? And did one NCSD student really land a part-time job right on the spot?

Curtis Long (07:54): So you got a job for like immediately or this summer or?

Student (07:56): I got a job for like now I think they're gonna email me and I'm gonna shadow someone for a little bit.

Curtis Long (08:01): No need to apply for the second half of this. Proud to be NNSD podcast. It's up next right after this.

Mitzi Bauer (08:08): Hello, I'm Mitzi Bauer, chair of the North Clackamas School District

Jena Benologa (08:11): School Board and I'm Gina Benologa, one of six other directors on our current board.

Mitzi Bauer (08:16): We are committed to listening and serving North Clackamas residents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve.

Jena Benologa (08:25): As members of the North Clakamas school board, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to increase student achievement, recognize and reward quality and educators, empower school leaders through policy, governance and professional development, and communicate with the public legislators, business leaders, cities and parents.

Mitzi Bauer (08:43): We invite you to join us online at our bimonthly board meetings held on the second and fourth Thursdays of most months. For more information, you can visit the North Clackamas District website

Jena Benologa (08:54): With parent and community input and support. We will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in all Northam, miss school district, schools and beyond.

Mitzi Bauer (09:03): Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Curtis Long (09:06): Now, as we mentioned earlier, students attending today's expo have the opportunity to participate in mock job interviews and this NCSD student was courageous enough to let us listen in on his.

Interviewer (09:16): So tell me about a big challenge you faced and then how did you overcome that?

Student (09:20): Uh, honestly, like one of the biggest challenges I've had growing up was probably having like adhd. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and it's pretty hard in elementary school and middle school trying to like focus in classes without like, without being like mature about it. So trying to like talk to people, be able to stay on a task, be able to get my work done, that was pretty and to solve that I kind of just like talked to people about it. Like my teacher, she had ADHD so she kind of helped me and like talk to me like things I could do to get over that and like work around it.

Curtis Long (09:47): So what'd you think of it?

Student (09:49): Uh, a little nervous, but it's pretty fun. I mean trying to like practice, you know, learning about like what I might have to like talk about in the summer to find a job.

Curtis Long (09:58): You're more confident now that you've gone this?

Student (10:00): A little bit.

Curtis Long (10:00): Throughout today's Northwest Career Expo, students could also attend short career talks such as this one called How to Ace Your Job Interview,

Speaker (10:08): Make sure that you're yourself when you go into the interview because you don't want to interview one way and then show up for work and you're a totally different person that they don't know. They're like, wait, this is this the person we hired? You wanna make sure that if you are happy and outgoing and talkative that you demonstrate that in your interview so that they know when they hire you that you're gonna come in, especially if it's a customer service job or something like that where you have to talk to people that you're gonna transfer that over. Where if you're really quiet in the interview and then you come in and you're talkative or you're not, then you come in quiet and they think you're gonna be quiet when you get there and then you're really talkative. They're like, wait, this isn't the person that we brought in. So I say it's always very important to be yourself.

Curtis Long (10:53): That's where Vincent of Milwaukee Academy of the Arts spent some of his time today.

Vincent (MAA) (10:58): I actually ended up landing a job at Trackers. So that's fun.

Curtis Long (11:02): So you got a job for like immediately or this summer or when?

Vincent (MAA) (11:05): Got a job for like now I think they're gonna email me and I'm gonna shadow someone for a little bit and get

Curtis Long (11:10): Well congratulations on that. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Great day for you. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> Big congratulations to Vincent. As this special day starts to reach its final hour, we thought we better take advice from Ferris Bueller himself.

Ferris Bueller movie (11:20): Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while you could Miss it

Curtis Long: So we don't miss anything.Let's shuffle around the convention center floor and get the thoughts of ncsd students from all different schools and programs in attendance.

Luke Womack (ANHS) (11:33): My name is Luke Womack. I go to Nelson High School. I thought today was a great experience learning about all different types of jobs.

Lacey Broder (RPHS) (11:39): My name is Lacey Broder and I think today it was, it was pretty cool. Yeah, it was fun.

Curtis Long (11:45): You go to Putnam? Yeah. Yeah.

Tyler (MHS) (11:47): Hi, my name's Tyler. I go to Milwaukie High School today. I really like it. Get to see a bunch of careers.

Hudson Normand (CHS) (11:53): I'm Hudson Normand. I go to Clackakmas High School and I thought today was super awesome. I got to learn about, you know, what it takes to be, to have a job in the future life.

Eli Stevenson (ANHS) (12:01): My name's Eli Stevenson. I go to Nelson High School and I thought today was a great experience. Gotta learn about a lot of new things.

Sabrina (RPHS) (12:08): Hi, my name is Sabrina and I go to Rex Putnam and I thought today was pretty fun. There was a lot of new faces and there was a lot of opportunities to learn more about a lot of stuff.

Devin Brooks (CHS) (12:18): Yeah, Devin Brooks, Clackamas High School and I really liked today. It was pretty cool just seeing all the types of careers, you know, you can go into and all the people were pretty nice.

Ian (MHS) (12:26): My name is Ian. I go to Milwaukie High School and I thought today was a, a good experience, a good opportunity to find interests, new interests and stuff like that.

Sam Lewis (ANHS) (12:35): My name is Sam Lewis. I go to Nelson High School and I had a great experience learning about new careers and career paths to go to.

Isaac Bruce (RPHS) (12:40): My name is Isaac Bruce. I go to Rex Putnam High School. And uh, I learned about a lot of interesting careers that I'd really like to take a look at. A lot of really cool opportunities.

Curtis Long (12:47): Well, that about wraps things up from the Northwest Youth Careers Expo at the Oregon Convention Center. And as you could hear from our NCSD students in attendance, some key words continued to pop up, opportunities, careers, and fun. And here's a fun fact for North Clackamas parents. Did you know that college and career readiness classes in our school district aren't limited to just high school students? In fact, there are similar grade level appropriate lessons taught in your students middle and elementary schools. So the next time you ask your kids what they learned in school, don't be faked out.

Ferris Bueller movie (13:17): The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom. I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but uh, you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office that's worse than school.

Curtis Long (13:32): Thanks Ferris. And thanks to all of you for listening today to our first try at a podcast on the road as we board the bus once again and head back to school. Just wanna let all of you know how much we appreciate you for subscribing and tuning in every time we drop off a new episode. Look for another edition next week when we return to the studio.

Ferris Bueller movie (13:49): You're still here. It's over. Go home.

Curtis Long (13:52): We'll talk to you then.

Announcer (13:56): Thanks for listening to the Proud To Be NCSD podcast. In North Clackamas, we know that education is a community effort and we're so thankful that you and your family are a part of our community. Until next time, remember, there are always great things to see wherever you go in N C S D

Ferris Bueller movie (14:16): Go.