Students at Helfrich Park have many opportunities to connect to the workplace, the community, and world. Students at each grade level experience field trips to expose them to careers. Some examples include trips to Berry Global, Alcoa, and AstraZeneca. The real positive about Helfrich Park’s community partners is how involved they get. We have multiple partners that work hand in hand with our students throughout the school year. One example of this is the Berry Global project. They not only open up the facility for visits, but they offer feedback throughout the year long project. In addition, each year, students visit the University of Southern Indiana to participate in STEM labs and lessons in a college teaching lab instructed by a professor. Other community partner visits include public visits to jobsites, Job Spark, and a host of others that give our students real perspective about their future job opportunities.

Teachers also work to incorporate skills needed in the workplace. Students learn to work in cooperative learning groups (Kagan) where collaboration is valued. This focuses on student responsibility within a global society. Some of these activities that students participate in include career exploration, preparing presentations, interviewing, and resume, soft skills, and application building.