AUDIO: Lawrenceburg HS Students Benefiting From JAG Program

JAG puts students in work-based learning experiences.

Lawrenceburg High School JAG students (left to right) Kyle Hawkins, Clair Nagel, and Ella Hadley with Eagle Country 99.3's Bubba Bo. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The JAG, or Jobs for America’s Graduates, program at Lawrenceburg High School is helping get junior and senior students ready for the real world.

“JAG really brought the fun back to school for me,” shares senior Clair Nagel. “It has really helped me a lot find what I want to do in life and help me with my struggles, and I really appreciate that.”

Teacher April Pearson is the coordinator of the JAG program at Lawrenceburg. She says students perform volunteer work to help them find a possible career path.

“It is a career program. We try to help students find out what they want to do after high school, what they’re good at, what they enjoy. We do a lot of college visits and have guest speakers from different career fields,” explained Pearson.

“We work on basic soft skills that employers want, and also lots of communication skills.”

RELATED: LHS Students Earn High Marks At JAG State Career Development Conference

Ella Hadley says as part of the 2018 JAG State Career Development Conference, she had to develop a resume and cover letter and sit through a mock job interview. She brought home a first-place award.

“You had to go and interview with one judge in a room with four judges. After that I got pulled to talk to four judges collectively. I ended up coming out on top,” recalled Hadley.

Nagel finished third in the Creative Solutions category at the same competition.

For Kyle Hawkins, it has helped her determine which college she might attend. He plans to attend Ivy Tech Community College to pursue a degree in elementary education.

Learn more about JAG in Indiana at http://in.gov/dwd/JAG.htm.

Listen to Eagle Country 99.3’s Bubba Bo interview the Lawrenceburg High School JAG students and teacher April Pearson in the audio player below.