Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman
HEB student employees (front, from left) Brendan Henderson from Goose Creek Memorial High School and Janessa Carbon from Ross S. Sterling High School enjoy the Student Workforce Connection Employee Appreciation Luncheon with their employers (top, from left) Gary Schmalfeldt, unit director; Louis Reese, service director and Kim Kelly, community coordinator.
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Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman
James Polvadore (right), Goose Creek CISD Warehouse foreman, and student employee Anthony Villarreal from Goose Creek Memorial High School, display the plaque Polvadore received at the recent Student Workforce Connection Employer Appreciation Luncheon.
Student Workforce Connection Partners Honored at Employer Appreciation Luncheon
By: Susan Passmore
Student Workforce Connection partners were honored at the recent 9th Annual Goose Creek CISD Student Workforce Connection Employer Appreciation Luncheon at the Baytown Community Center. The luncheon was attended by 190, including 77 representatives from 53 workforce locations. Monica Swift, Student Workforce Connection liaison, welcomed guests.
Goose Creek CISD superintendent Randal O’Brien presented opening remarks, thanking the employers in attendance for playing a part in the personal development of their student employees.
Student employees Carolina Carrillo from Robert E. Lee High School, GraceAnn Bishop and Margo Kilgore from Ross S. Sterling High School and Aleema Baigh from Goose Creek Memorial High School thanked their employers for the opportunities they provided for them.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to grow, to learn and to experience along the way,” said Aleema, a student in the Global Business Academy and a part of the Chick-fil-A Leadership program.
Matt May, store manager at the 24-Hour Walgreens, a Goose Creek CISD Student Workforce partner, expressed his appreciation for the program.
“I got involved with the Student Workforce because we had an issue with staff. At first, we worked with Sterling in launching an internship program. We then worked with Kelley Start at GCM in developing a Business Practicum, focusing on a leadership program. We’ve had great success with these programs, and we look forward to continuing them,” May said.
The meal was provided by Chef Ginger Zoidis and her Culinary Arts students from Robert E. Lee High School. Tracy Roder and the Floral Design students at REL created the table decorations. Awards were presented to employers for generously investing in Goose Creek CISD students by giving them jobs and helping them to prepare for their careers in the future.
“Here in Goose Creek, we’re really four-times blessed,” said Renea Dillon, director of Career and Technical Education. “We’re blessed to have a leadership team in the Administration Building that supports career and technical education. We’re blessed to have a lot of really great students and teachers. In CTE, we’re also blessed to have an amazing staff. When I started here, there were two of us. Finally, we are blessed to have our workforce partners. Thank you for the effort you make every day to help our students and our teachers.”
Workforce partners are A & A Auto, Abshier-Meuth Animal Hospital, Aesthetic Family Dentistry, Animal Medical Center of Baytown, Aramark, Archer Road Animal Hospital, Austin Industrial, Bay Area Rehabilitation Center (two locations), Bayshore Dodge, Baytown Animal Hospital, Baytown Christian Academy, Baytown Occupational and Family Medicine, Baytown Texas Dentistry, Beacon Federal Credit Union, Beehive Florist, Birdsongs Pharmacy, Blue Beacon Truck Wash, Blue Ribbon Pharmacy, Building Block, Chambers Health, Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, Chevron Phillips, Chick-fil-A 1, Chick-fil-A 2, Chipotle, Chuy’s Performance Discount, CMEF, Community KIA, Community Toyota, Covestro, CVS (four locations), Dairy Queen, Dennys, Dickeys BBQ, Dominoes, Dr. Challa (cardiologist), Dr. Gary Boehme-DDS, DUGOUT SPORTS, El Toro, Focused Care at Baytown, Freddy’s, Fresenius Medical Center and Fresenius Medical Center North.
Partners from Goose Creek CISD are Alamo Elementary, Ashbel Smith Elementary, Austin Elementary, Bañuelos Elementary, Baytown Junior, Bowie Elementary, Clark Elementary, Crockett Elementary, Facilities Management Complex, Gentry Junior, Goose Creek Memorial High School, Harlem Elementary, Highlands Elementary, Highlands Junior, Hopper Elementary, IMPACT Early College High School, Peter E. Hyland Childcare Center, Robert E. Lee High School, Robert E. Lee High School HSI, San Jacinto Elementary, Special Education Office, Ross S. Sterling High School, Ross S. Sterling High School Special Education Office, San Jacinto Elementary and Victoria Walker Elementary.
More partners include Golden Corral, Goose Creek Pharmacy, HEB, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Home Depot, Hooters, Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Houston Methodist Primary Care Group 1, Houston Methodist Primary Group 2, Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group, Houston Methodist Surgery Associates, Jacinto Medical Group, Jack in the Box, Johnny Carino’s, JR’s Landscapers, Karsten Commercial Construction, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kilgore Industrial, Kroger Market Place, Kroger Pharmacy (two locations), Lee College Rebel Roost, Marble Slab, McDonald’s, (two locations), Methodist Gastrointestinal Associates, Methodist Neurology, Modern Barber College, New Horizon Healthcare, NTB Tires, Old Navy, Orange Leaf and Panera Bread.
Other partners are Perfect Draft Inc., Premium Auto Spa, Rollingbrook Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Salt Grass, Samson Controls Inc., ShowBiz Cinema, Smoothie King, Sonic, Sonic Drive-In, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Texas Professional Hearing Center, Texas Roadhouse, The Choice Car Wash, Top Tea, Tri County Construction, Turner Industries, Uniseal, Walden Oak, Walgreens (five locations), Walmart (two locations), Wellness Pharmacy, Whataburger (three locations), Wing Stop (two locations and Women’s Healthcare Center of Baytown.
Career Prep and Practicum teachers include Steve Barron, John Membreno, Rex Miller, Richard Morris, Ian Sobczak, Scott Seals and Greg Thomas from Stuart Career Center; Misty Calhoun, Leslie Hemmenway, Robert Koonce, Shannon Rogers and Paula Schmidt from RSS; Patricia Cheshire, Cary Duhon, Habib El Batsh, Debbie Himsel, Angela Johnson, Samuel Laird, Kiersten Newman, Nicole Saenz and Deborah Turner from GCM as well as Vernon Gradney, Raymond Jackson and Bethany Taylor from REL. Carolyn Heads teaches at REL and RSS, and Jade Cox is at RSS and SCC. Linda Rye is the district vocational adjustment teacher.