BEREA, Ky. (LEX 18) — The end of the school year is a time for reflection and celebration. That’s especially true for Berea students in the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program.
“I definitely enjoyed the bed build, probably one of my favorite moments,” said Nicholas Rodriguez, reflecting back on his eighth-grade year.
Isaiah Hackett, who just completed seventh grade, shared, “I was in knowledge bowl. We finished second in state and second in nationals.”
Over the past year, these students have participated in community events and competitions. But their most recent accomplishment just might be their biggest one yet.
The JAG program, which teaches students real-world employability skills, was on the chopping block after sudden budget cuts in March.
“I was distraught from it because I really grew from this program,” Hackett said.
While students in Berea made their voices heard through walkouts and protests, students in the JAG programs worked to put on a program-saving event called Sing and Save.
“They wanted to make sure that this program that they've had, that has meant so much to them and so much to the community here in Berea, they didn't want to see it die,” said JAG Kentucky president George Stafford. “They didn't think. They just went out and started doing.”
The doing involved putting on the community-wide Sing and Save event to raise enough money to keep JAG funded. Middle and high school JAG students from the Berea Independent School District worked together, utilizing lessons they learned from the program.
“All the skills we learn are stuff we can use in the real life,” said Rodriguez. “That's the whole point of the program, which is why we wanted to keep it so bad.”
On the last day of school, the students found out their mission was accomplished. Stafford visited the school, and the students held a celebration.
“Everyone was so excited,” Rodriguez said. “We were all cheering. You couldn't settle the class down that day.”
The students were celebrating the success of saving their JAG program and knowing that they made a difference.
“They're not having to wait until they graduate,” Stafford said. “They've got the opportunity today to go out and make a difference in their community.”
“It makes me feel that we've accomplished greater things than we thought we could being in a small school as Berea,” said Hackett. “We finally did something that got others' attentions.”
