More than 20 Brown County High School seniors are on their way to receiving a certificate from Gov. Eric Holcomb to recognize they have the skills necessary to be successful at work or college after they graduate.
Christy Wrightsman, director of the Career Resource Center of Brown County, explained how the students have been earning the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate since last September at the Jan. 16 Brown County Schools Board of Trustees meeting.
The certificate is presented by the governor and can be earned during a student’s senior year, Wrightsman said.
“It’s really an effort to bring together local industry and school districts in a combined effort to really work with students on their employability skills and preparing them for college and career,” she explained.
This is the first school year the certificate has been offered to students.
Other surrounding high schools also offer it, including Martinsville High School, Indian Creek High School and Bartholomew County Schools.
To earn the certificate, students have to demonstrate perseverance, a positive attitude, communication skills, their ability to be a self-starter and critical thinker, organizational skills, and the importance of punctuality.
Students also have to maintain a 2.0 grade-point average or higher and be on track with graduation requirements.
“I really like this because this is not necessarily focusing on our Top 10 students. This is really giving students an opportunity,” Wrightsman said about the GPA requirement.
The students also have to maintain a 98-percent attendance rate, have one or fewer discipline referrals, and complete six hours of community service.
“Even an excused absence counts against them. They cannot have more than four absences during that period of time,” Wrightsman said.
When the certificate process was introduced to the seniors in August, Wrightsman outlined multiple reasons why they should consider earning it. One of them was because they can list it on their resumes and college applications. The students will also be recognized at an awards ceremony, by the community and at graduation.
These students will also be the first to receive the certificates in Brown County.
The Brown County Community Foundation will also add the certificate as a box to check when a student is applying for scholarships, including the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
The state is asking employers to bring applicants with the governor’s Work Ethic Certificate to the top of the candidate list. Other incentives include bonus vacation days at work, waived college orientation classes, professional seminars and development, a sign-on bonus, and tuition reimbursement.
The school district has partnered with local businesses to support this certificate, including Designscape, McDonald’s, Creekside Retreat and Hills O’Brown Vacation Rentals. Cummins is also a partner. Wrightsman said she is looking for other businesses to partner.
Anyone interested in learning more can contact her at the CRC by calling 812-988-5880 or emailing [email protected].
At the meeting, Wrightsman said 36 seniors started on the path to earn the certificate. There are now 26 students still eligible to receive it.
“It’s not really easy. It’s not for every student. We’re not looking for this certificate to be handed out to every single senior, or even half of our seniors, perhaps,” she said.
Superintendent Laura Hammack said that of the students who are no longer eligible for the certificate, it’s because of the attendance requirement. “It is rigorous. If you earn that pin, you are earning that pin,” she said.
Eligible seniors will also have to attend scheduled interviews with administrators and teachers.
Wrightsman is also working with local businesses to hang banners with a picture of the students at each entrance of the county. She is also pursuing other ways to recognize the students within the community, like possibly having them on stage at the Brown County Music Center.
“I think students would be pretty happy with the way they are recognized across the community for their efforts,” she said.
In 2018, the district received a $500,000 Ready Schools grant from Regional Opportunities Initiative Inc. Through the Ready Schools work, the district did 130 interviews within the community to determine what makes a successful graduate from Brown County High School. It says that graduates will display social, emotional and physical wellness; communicate effectively; engage in curricular and co-curricular opportunities; be prepared for success in a 21st century workforce; and seek to innovate.
The certificate is also reinforcing the employability skill standards that now must be taught across all grade levels beginning in kindergarten.
Seniors who earn the certificate will be recognized at the May 7 school board meeting, where they will receive Eagle pins. They will then wear the Eagle pin on their graduation gowns.
