Rocky Mountain and Burlington named Schools of Distinction

Recently, School District No. 1 Superintendent Matt Davidson received a letter announcing Burlington and Rocky Mountain high schools as CFES (College For Every Student) Brilliant Pathways Schools of Distinction for their outstanding achievements during the 2023-24 school year. They were chosen because of their commitment to developing and implementing exemplary plans for students to develop post-graduation goals, while engaging the entire school community.

Although it takes many hands to accomplish such a distinction, the architect of this distinguished award is Sally Bernhisel. As the District Career Coordinator, Sally was tasked with helping seniors with their post-graduation plans. When she was introduced to Brilliant Pathways by Davidson, who saw a presentation at a conference, she took the program’s goals and began formulating a plan. With the help of many staff, parents and community members, District One has found a way to help students use their high school experience as a stepping stone to a life-time career choice.

Within the school curriculum, each high school has implemented a Senior Studies class. The class is designed to address areas that have been identified by businesses as essential skills for good employees. One of these areas is soft skills such as teamwork, problem solving, communication, ethics and the like. The class also helps students prepare a resume, fill out job applications, prepare for job interviews and sift through their own skills and interests to find optimum career choices. All high school students are assigned a mentor teacher who monitors grades, builds self-esteem and helps with the individual challenges each student faces. Mentoring is all about building positive relationships.

With every innovative program comes the problem of funding. Bernhisel applied for and was chosen for a HAP (High Altitudes Pathways) Grant from the University of Wyoming. This grant is given to help rural schools support students as they seek a career path, whether it be college, trade school, apprenticeship, military or other. 

With funding help from the grant, Bernhisel was able to create opportunities for students to look at various careers and the path to get there with the following activities:

Work studies --  Interested senior students are given one to two periods a day to work at a local business;

Mock job interviews -- Seniors bring their resume for a job of their choice to a panel of local business leaders and are asked a variety of questions as if they were applying for that job; 

Pizza with Professionals -- A local professional, chosen through surveys, is asked to come visit with juniors and seniors during their lunch hour;

Senior Project with a Mentor -- Senior students choose a project that deals with a career of interest and finds a mentor within the community to help them accomplish their project, with each project presented to a panel during April; 

Job shadowing -- Students choose an expert in any given career and shadow them for one day;

College visits-- Students may visit colleges virtually or in person, and representatives from various post-secondary schools visit the high schools. NWC also hosts a college planning day which students attend; 

College Shout Out Day -- High school students and staff celebrate their college dreams and alma maters with shirts from their schools – school songs being played between classes. College trivia announced throughout the day and fun facts about staff’s college experiences are used as a guessing game throughout the day;

Reality Town -- Middle-school students choose a career, are given a salary, then pay all the bills associated with independent living, including a growing family;

Middle School Essential Skill Fair -- Thirteen interactive stations are attended by small groups to highlight skills such as emotional intelligence, cooperation, teamwork and perseverance;

Elementary Career Fair -- A variety of careers represent the interesting aspects of their jobs with participation of all elementary students.

As stated in their school applications, “We have a supportive staff, administration and school board that is committed to creating opportunities for students to surpass expectations. … We believe that our comprehensive career exploration and college readiness curriculum, along with our strong mentoring program – fueled by our close-knit community and small school atmosphere – have positioned us to meet the criteria for [the] prestigious ‘School of Distinction’ Award.”