As students hit their junior and senior years, the reality of going to college and finding a career  begins to set in. College, or finding a career, is no longer an idea off in the distance, but is a rather daunting affair. For some students, this big step into the world of adulting comes easy, but for others, it is a rather challenging and frightening prospect. A  few years ago, OHS adopted a program known as TSW, or Transition from School to Work, to aid students in the transition from high school life to adult life.

Not only do these students work in class to gain an understanding of adult life, including taxes, creating resumes, and obtaining personal connections, they work outside of class to acquire hands on experience. Throughout the year, students research their different areas of interest to hopefully discover the right career path for them.

The career-finding aspect of this class is tedious. First, students decide what kind of life they want to lead in the future. Do you want a big house? Do you want to have a family? What kind of car do you want? The lifestyle they want to lead greatly influences their career options. All of this, and many more factors are taken into account when students decide what career path they are going to take.

Once all of that is determined, the student and teacher travel to that specific job site, and spend the day meeting workers and managers and taking in what it looks like to work there. This helps bring the idea of maintaining a career there, to life.

In the end, with the help of Allison Caylor, TSW teacher, Renee Manley-Medic, TSW Career Technician, and Gina Hoppenworth, TSW Career Technician, TSW students leave the class prepared for the world of college and demanding jobs. With outstanding teachers, supportive staff, and the stellar teaching curriculum, the TSW program has become a renowned and an all around fantastic class.