Ten is the Magic Number for Chesterton’s Growing Work Ethic Certification Program

Carmen Thomas
onwardtrojans.com

Ten is the magic number for a lot of things. But for students receiving their Work Ethic Certification, it’s the number of employer expectations they’re required to maintain.
The Work Ethic Certification, or WEC, is a state-wide educational certificate that Chesterton offers. Doretta Kurzinski, a CHS English teacher, was given the program through an internship she did at the Administration Office.
“I had coordinated this program at another school I worked at, so I was happy to work with the program again,” she said.
The WEC program includes a positive attitude, honesty, the ability to work with others, punctuality, the ability to follow directions, problem-solving, listening skills, time management, safety, and tolerance of diversity. The program has grown significantly over the past year.
“In my first year we had 52 overall winners of the Regional certificate,” Kurzinski said. “This year, we had 138 students earn the Regional certificate, 64 of whom also earned the Governor's certification. I was informed by one of the regional board members that CHS has one of the highest rates in the region. She actually said she thought it was the highest.”
The reason for this is more than just student interest, though. Mark Peterson, the Director of Internships, has begun incorporating it into the internship program, which includes more than 200 seniors.
“Mr. Peterson and I are still developing the ways in which the foundational parts of the program will fit into the internship program,” she said. “But this year we were able to analyze how what is being done in the classroom and on-the-job mirrors the elements of the program.”
Internship students aren’t the only ones benefiting from the WEC. Isabel Durkin, a junior and third-year member of the WEC, joined for different reasons.
“We’re told all the time, ‘Oh, we want you to work hard’ or ‘Oh, you need to be on time,’ but I think the program does a good job of outlining the 10 things they think are important. Outlining that specifically gives students who may not have had that type of education an opportunity to be exposed to it,” Durkin said.
She plans on pursuing neuroscience after high school and is about to endure the college application process next fall.
“I feel that it will be beneficial for college apps, and it just generally gives me a good revision of what I should be prioritizing,” she said.
Durkin’s WEC workload just included a presentation on the 10 values. But first-year students have to go through modules and learn about each of the employer expectations. Dominic Sylvester, a freshman, went through that curriculum last year.
“I hoped to gain some values and hopefully get myself a better job in the future,” he said. “I feel like I know what to expect.”
Out of all the 10 values, one stands out as the most important, according to Brent Martinson, Principal of CHS.
“I truly believe that each of the 10 skills is vitally important in being successful in life,” he said. “If I had to pick one, it would be to show a positive attitude. Every day will have its challenges and setbacks, but how you respond to these challenges can encourage others when you approach them with positivity. A strong positive attitude will drown out negativity!”
The WEC not only teaches students to have a positive attitude, but it also helps their employability.
“It’s taught me a lot about what the community outside of school thinks,” Durkin said. “There’s been a lot of people who have come into the school and spoken about the Work Ethic Certification or talked about how beneficial they think it is.”
Kurzinski emphasized just that – community response – by sharing a success story.
“A sophomore was applying for jobs at the end of the year, and she indicated that she told her potential employer that she had earned the WEC for two years,” Kurzinski said. “The employer was not familiar with the program, so the student pulled out her certificates (which she had brought to the interview YAY!) and shared how the program prepared her to be a dedicated employee. She got the job offer on the spot!”
At the end of the day, these 10 employer expectations help students in the classroom and beyond it. It’s the one of the biggest accomplishments, according to Martinson.
“In my opinion, earning the Work Ethic Certification is one of the most important awards that we hand out to students,” he said. “If one is not able to apply these expectations in a work setting then it doesn’t matter how much they know, they will struggle to be successful in a job.”
With its success, growing number of students, and integration with CHS’s state-renowned internship program, the Work Ethic Certification program will keep turning students into employees.