Melissa Fletcher
Co-op students at Fort Frances High School are excelling at their work placements this semester.
Co-op is a course that gives local high school students the opportunity to learn and participate in the workplace environment.
It also offers them a chance to spend time in a workplace while trying to decide what courses to take for their post-secondary education.
“I definitely recommend that students try a Co-op placement, especially if he or she isn’t exactly sure what they want to do, career-wise,” advised Dominique Frenette, a returning student who is placed at A Little Off the Top this semester.
“My placement has definitely helped me decide that I want to go into hairdressing,” Frenette enthused.
“I did my display on having a healthy scalp and hair. It went really well,” she added.
Co-op students also may have the chance to experience hands-on tasks in the workplace.
“I love the atmosphere and the people I get to work with,” Frenette remarked. “I have washed hair, and I observe a lot.
“I can’t cut hair until I get my licence [for hairdressing], but it’s a great experience that I recommend to any student unsure of what they want to do after high school,” she added.
Lacey Durbin, a Grade 12 student who has been placed at the Fort Frances Dental Centre, is getting an experience that will help her prepare for a career.
“I want to do dental hygiene so I love my Co-op,” she noted.
“My display was on oral cancer and I think it went well,” Durbin added.
She does general cleaning on Mondays, assists with procedures by passing the tools on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and is with the dental hygienist on Thursdays and Fridays.
“I was surprised I am able to do so much,” Durbin remarked.
“I’m learning a lot, and it this experience will really help me for when I go away to school,” she reasoned.
Meanwhile, this semester’s Co-op students had the chance to show off their workplace environment experience during a Display Day last Tuesday (May 3).
The displays featured topics and themes related to their chosen work placement.
Fellow students and teachers then had the opportunity to visit the displays and hear what students had to say about their work placements.
Display Day also offered the chance for students to browse potential placements if they choose to take Co-op in the future.
“Co-op Display Day was very successful,” noted Co-op teacher Nancy Gillon.
“The students did an excellent job with their displays,” she added. “They were colourful, vibrant, and eye-catching.”
Bailey Strom has been placed in a college-level math class and college-level physics class.
“Display Day was good,” she said. “My topic was on the gender gap in the classroom.
“I would recommend this Co-op placement to students who are interested in math and physics,” Strom added.
“It can be demanding, but it’s worth it.”
Students will continue attending their Co-op placements for the rest of the semester.
