March 15, 2002
Contact: Teri Hendrickson (509-963-1921/fax 509-963-1811/e-mail hendrick@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - More than 300 high school students from Easton, Ellensburg, Kennewick, Kittitas, Manson, Sunnyside Christian, Walla Walla, Wapato and Warden high schools will make T.R.A.C.C.S. to Central Washington University Monday, March 25. T.R.A.C.C.S. is an acronym for “Targeting Resources to Achieve Career and College Success.”
Teri Hendrickson, from CWU career development services, developed the free program, funded through a $3,000 grant from Microsoft, to help prep students learn about college and career opportunities.
Through a series of employer-led workshops, students will learn about developing important life skills, finding summer employment and what that work may mean to future employment, searching for and acquiring scholarships, the relevance and importance of community service, getting a first job, making good college and career choices, goal setting, mentoring, and becoming a well-rounded individual sought by colleges and employers.
Workshops will be presented by officials from The Boeing Company, Microsoft, National Federation of Independent Business, 7-Eleven, Target, Washington State Auditor’s Office, and university alumnus Dennis Kelly, from Lake Cle Elum, who is now a business consultant. CWU will also be represented at T.R.A.C.C.S. through offering workshops and campus tours.
“Each workshop will accommodate anywhere from 19 to 44 students,” Hendrickson says, “and each student will attend four workshops.”
Joe Chauvin, Microsoft’s lead program manager for MicrosoftTV’s broadcast services, will present the keynote address, titled “Life Skills for an Internet World.”
In addition, a luncheon is planned for the students and will include a variety of entertainment such as comedy, swing dancing and presentations about university clubs and organizations.
A special workshop about contextual learning will be held for teachers bringing their student to T.R.A.C.C.S., Hendrickson adds.
“Contextual learning is what we used to call ‘school-to-work,’” she points out. “It is taking a class, such as English, out to an archeological site, for example, and learning why English skills are important for those working in that field.”
For more information about T.R.A.C.C.S., or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-1921, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.
