AG Business Course Elective Option at WHS
Students at Wauseon High School have a wide range of elective class options outside of the core subject requirements of English, mathematics, science and social studies. These options include foreign language, technology, art, music, business, PE, theater and many family consumer science courses. Wauseon High School also has a rich history and tradition of Agricultural Education. Within this department students have a variety of courses they can take and course selections are made with a career pathway of interest in mind. The table below illustrates different career pathways and the course options students have for each year of high school.
Each of these career pathways ends with students taking Ag. Business with an Internship Capstone. Ag. Business along with the Internship Capstone allows for students to participate in a work release format permitting them to attend school for a portion of the day and then be released to work and fulfill the internship portion of the class. Although it has evolved over the years, this Ag. Business course with the work release option was first introduced in the mid 1960’s by Mr. John Wilson, who was the Ag. teacher at that time. In the actual Ag. Business course students examine elements of business and identify organizational structures and apply management skills while developing business plans, financial reports and strategic goals for new ventures or existing businesses. Students learn to use marketing concepts to evaluate the marketing environment and develop a marketing plan with marketing channels, product approaches, promotion and pricing strategies. Throughout the course, students are challenged to apply concepts of ethics and professionalism while implications of business regulations are identified.
In the internship portion of the class students apply Ag. Business program knowledge and skills in a more comprehensive and authentic way. Capstones are project/problem-based learning opportunities that occur both in and away from school. Under supervision of the school and through partnerships, students combine classroom learning with work experience to benefit themselves and others. These can take the form of mentorship employment, cooperative education, apprenticeships or internships. The Ag. Business program has a long standing relationship with many local businesses who work with students to fulfill the requirements of this course.
For the Ag. Business Internship program students have certain requirements they must meet. These requirements include:
Complete an Ag Business Internship Program Application and be ACCEPTED into the program by the teacher.
Remain employed throughout one year
Students MUST have employment by September 1st of the current year, but can start counting hours towards the internship program as of June 1st of the current year.
The student must work for a total of 450 hours.
The student must work at least 112 hours per nine weeks, with an option for rolling over hours to accommodate different working seasons or sports.
The student must work a minimum of 4 hours per week during the school year (if utilizing the roll over method).
Employers must be willing to provide the student with the opportunity to work and learn about their place of business as well as communicate with the teacher on a regular basis and grade the student on their performance as an employee. Employers are also recognized at the annual Spring FFA Banquet. This program has proven to be a valuable avenue to create strong school and business partnerships in our community. It gives the school and local businesses the opportunity to develop quality future workers and support the growth of the workforce in our region. During the 2019-2020 school year alone, the Ag. Business class of twenty students worked a total of 12,142.8 hours. These students earned a total of $120,627.30. We are proud to offer students this opportunity while attending Wauseon High School.