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More than 60 high school students from Chisago Lakes, North Branch and Rush City participated in the 34th Annual Chisago County Work Skills Day on Friday, Feb. 25. This event is designed to challenge students to demonstrate their skills in Job Interviewing, Job Problem Solving, and Job Application Form completion. The students are enrolled in Employability Skills Seminar classes at their home schools. Managers and representatives from area businesses and service agencies judged the events. These individuals lent expertise and time to make this event a realistic and rewarding experience for students. Work Skills Day is the culmination of curriculum these students work on for many months in classrooms.

Work Skills Day is the application of classroom learning.

Serving as judges for the day were:

Sandy Neff, Walmart,

Susan Gogerty, Parmly LifePointes,

John Goodroad, McCarrons Building Supply,

Jenny Smith, Workforce Center, Blaine

Katie Hartl, Workforce Center, Cambridge

Kevin Stenson, Lakes Area Police,

Joanne Ploetz,

Tracy Gulliver,

Jeanne Leland, NB Community Ed,

Crystal Wolcott, Rise Inc,

Mike McNally, Dupont,

Greg Shaleen, ERA Realty,

Mike Ginal, Horizon Milling,

Kathy Johnson, DRS, Cambridge

Diane Crist, University of St. Thomas

Bonita Carlson, Circle of Friends,

Betsy Sandgren, Chisago Lakes Family Center,

Charley Klopp, Chisago Lakes Achievement Center,

Susan Wehrenberg, Chisago Lakes Achievement Center,

Luke Simonett, and

Candy Hanson, Chisago County Human Services.

Other agencies contributing to the day: Cambridge Workforce Center, NBAHS Career Center, HHH Job Corps, Circle of Friends, We R Able, Rise Inc, Anoka Ramsey Community College, Central Lakes College, NB Community Ed, Army Reserves, Stearns Bank, Pine Technical College, People First, Central MN Jobs and Training, Chisago Lakes Achievement Center. Many items for door prizes were also donated by many of the businesses and agencies.

Guest speaker for the day was Jan Turner from Willmar. She challenged students to never give up, have goals and be willing to allow change in life. Turner's story of becoming a quadruple amputee and persevering through the many challenges that this change brought to her life, was a powerful message.

Award winners from North Branch Area Public Schools are:

Job Interviewing:

Paige Peterson, 1st Place

Amanda Hentges, 4th Place,

Kali Mewhorter, 5th Place,

Kelsey Stratton, Honorable Mention

Job Problem Solving:

Paige Peterson, 1st Place

Zach Fairbanks, 5th Place

Job Applications:

Cody Jacoway, 1st Place

Zach Fairbanks, 2nd Place

Dylan Demars, 4th Place

Miranda Monahan, 5th Place

This event is a "real life" demonstration of skills students have learned in the classroom over the past few months. Having the educational community partnering together with the local business community is a huge benefit for these Chisago County students. The Chisago County Work Experience Coordinators, Brenda Kaeding and Janelle McNally, North Branch, Nicole Jack, Chisago Lakes, Greg Hills, Rush City, worked together to plan the event.

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