The annual Job Olympics event was filled with excitement as students got to showcase the job skills they’ve been working on all year. From entry-level tasks to more hands-on activities, students had the chance to compete April 10 at the event held at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church.
Job Olympics is a competition where high-school students take part in hands-on, job-style simulations, and local community members evaluate how well they demonstrate real-world employability skills.
“Anything that is an entry-level job skill, all of the kids were able to do,” teacher Amanda Hart said.
For both teachers and students, the event was something they looked forward to.
“Honestly, this is my favorite part of the year, being able to come and see this, and the awards ceremony is just so much fun because the kids just get so excited,” Hart said.
Some students, like sophomore Joshua Day, were returners.
“This is my second year,” Day said. “I want to do even better than last time.”
The preparation led to real outcomes.
“My students work on job skills to hopefully get a job someday, and we work on them every day,” GOALS teacher Tracey Wasinger said. “We kind of zero in on the ones they are best at and keep practicing those before the Job Olympics.”
Wasinger said many students have gone through the program at school, and it led to them being successfully recruited for jobs at the Job Olympics because of the skills they developed.
“This event is just a chance for them to show off their amazing skills,” Wasinger said. “It is so well organized, and all of the volunteers are very well trained on how to care and be loving to all of the individuals.”
The event was structured as a competition, with students completing tasks designed to reflect real-world job skills in a professional setting.
