Staff writer
While learning basic business skills, students in Lisa Beye’s business classes at Centre High School also are involved in activities that benefit the community.
Tori Marler and Katie Remy are enrolled in the course, In-house Training II. They learn office skills and produce such things as charts, sports programs, videos, and business cards.
They type documents for special education teacher Susan Wallace, who turns them into Braille documents.
The class has done mass mailings and produced flyers for the city of Lincolnville.
There is a charge for printing, but the labor is free.
They also produce family and anniversary videos. The family delivers the pictures to the class. They then are scanned and burned to a CD with music.
“We are always looking for community jobs,” Beye said.
Marler and Remy like the unstructured class, where each student works independently.
“They need little help from me,” Beye said. “They have gained the knowledge to do the work in their previous business classes.”
At the end of the year, the students take kindergarten and graduation videos.
Remy said she enjoys making videos, and Marler said she likes to do the sports programs.
“We like to show the community what we are doing for them,” she said.
Paw Print Photography
Another service provided by students is digital photography. It was set up as a business in 2009 as Paw Print Photography by 2010 graduate Shelby Deines. Framed photographs of her work are displayed on a hallway wall just outside the classroom.
“Shelby did excellent work,” Beye said.
This year, junior Dani Spohn and freshman Makenzie Deines are taking the reins. Others will join them later.
They take sports, prom, senior and family pictures. They also produce pictures on key chains, lapel buttons, and mugs.
The photos are edited in the classroom and sent elsewhere for printing.
The small amount of money brought in from the students’ work goes to the school. Beye is hoping to expand the business so that it can be operated like a business with its own account of credits and debits.
A link to Paw Print Photography is on Lisa Beye’s page on the usd397.com website. It offers order sheets and pricing.
Tri-County Telephone
A Video Production class is the result of a partnership between the school and Tri-County Telephone Association at Council Grove, which serves the Centre community.
It gives students hands-on experience in television production. They learn how to use cameras and all the other high-tech hardware and software required for TV production.
Spohn and seniors Tanner Brunner, Rustyn Kerbs, Tyler Klenda, Casey Kristek, and Ben Wirtz take videos and provide commentaries on high school sports games and other school events.
TCT purchased the necessary equipment and donated it to the school including a broadcasting module, three video cameras, and tripods. A representative from TCT trains students and provides technical support.
The videos are sent to TCT, which airs them on Community Channel 2 on TCT TV.