Raider Work Ethic
CENTRAL WORK ETHIC
By Janet Ridley
Front row, left to right: Emily Mackey, Jimmy Argo
Middle row, left to right: Grant Loewer, John Taylor, Ty Taylor, guest, Kori Goad, Cameron Wingert
Back row, left to right: Emily Hilario, Travis Wham, David Sage, Cole Loewer, Zach Koppelmann, Riley Bair
Ty Taylor, 2010 Central graduate, was the guest speaker for the first meeting of the Central Work Ethic program on Tuesday, October 11. Ty is currently attending Kansas University majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is also a member of the KU SELF (Self Engineering Leadership Fellows) program that is open to engineering majors. The SELF program looks for academic performance, motivation and actions, as well as letters of recommendation. Ty applied for the program while a senior at Central because the deadline for the application was December 1. The process consists of essays and interviews. From the 200 applications received, 20 freshmen were accepted in the program. The SELF program strives to develop goal-oriented engineering and computer science graduates who possess the business, interpersonal and entrepreneurial skills to guide the technology corporations of tomorrow.
Ty spoke on the similarities of the Central Work Ethic program and the SELF program. He stressed the importance of giving back to the community and helping those in need.
The guest speaker for the October meeting of the Central Work Ethic program was Melissa Wham Schooley. Ms. Schooley is a 2001 Central High School graduate and is now working as an accountant. While in high school she was active in athletics and yearbook. After graduation from Central she attended and graduated from Cowley County while holding part-time jobs. She then enrolled at Southwestern to complete her business degree. While at Southwestern she was awarded a one-year internship with General Electric where she gained experience in public speaking and confidence with each presentation. Ms. Schooley stressed the importance of on-the-job training with each employer. She pointed out that you must be flexible and prepared to learn each employer’s methods and procedures of their company, thus giving you a wider variety of experience. Ms. Schooley is in the process of studying for the CPA exam. She plans to sit for this test in the near future.
Pictured: Back row, left to right: Emily Hilario, David Sage, Melissa Wham Schooley, Cole Loewer, Riley Bair
Middle row: Jimmy Argo, John Taylor, Grant Loewer
Seated: Emily Mackey, Kori Goad
The November Work Ethic Program featured Macy (Hedges) Panach, a 2001 Central graduate. Ms. Panach is currently a recruiter/admissions counselor for Oklahoma State University. While a student at Central she was very involved in sports, yearbook and Agriculture. She completed concurrent classes during high school and also found time to serve as a lifeguard at the Burden pool. Ms Panach took several campus tours while a high school senior but spent most of her time visiting OSU where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications with a minor in Ag Economics. Agricultural Communications allowed her to combine all her passions into one degree. While on campus Ms Panach was involved in the Honor’s program. Research is emphasized at OSU so the Honors program requires juniors and seniors of the program to write a thesis. Macy was listed as one of the Top Ten Women as an outstanding freshman and one of the Top 10 seniors in 2005. Ms. Panach earned a Master’s degree at Arkansas and taught undergraduate classes while there.
Ms. Panach encouraged Central students to get involved with activities as much as possible now because it will make it easier to be involved at the college level. With her involvement in ACT (Ag communicators of Tomorrow) she was responsible for bringing in guest speakers, attending national meetings, and interacting with other students. She interned for Oklahoma Farm Bureau and stated that all her internships and classes let to her career as an admissions counselor. She stressed that getting to know others is very important in all areas, interests, and careers.
MARCH MEETING
Debbie Littrell, Human Resources Manager for S and Y Industries, Inc. in Winfield was the guest speaker for Central’s March meeting of the Work Ethic Program. Ms. Littrell graduated from Central in 1981 and married shortly afterward. While raising a family she worked in a hospital for seven years then was employed with Rubbermaid in the Human Resources Department for nine years. While at Rubbermaid, Ms. Littrell decided to work toward a college degree. She enrolled in Southwestern’s accelerated program and was able to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in 16 months, attending class one night per week from 6-10 p.m. Due to downsizing at Rubbermaid, the HR Department was dissolved which meant Ms. Littrell needed other employment. After a brief intermission she was employed by S and Y Industries, Inc.
S and Y industries, Inc. is an electronic manufacturing service that did $11 million dollars in business last year. It is a female owned business that employees 85 people where the majority of the employees are women. Ms. Littrell’s duties include hiring, firing, and discipline of the employees. She carries two cell phones because she is on call 24-7. She offered suggestions to the work ethic students about first impressions and the expectations of employers in today’s market. Most employers are looking for dedication, responsibility, education, attitude, and motivation in their possible employees. Ms. Littrell stressed the need to be flexible, make smart choices, be able to bounce back, go the extra mile, and realize that it may take longer strides to get better results. She stated that not every interview will result in a job offer, but continue the job search to gain confidence with each interview. She ended her visit by encouraging each student to continue their education after high school to maintain a competitive edge in the job market.
Pictured, back row, left to right: David Sage, Travis Wham, Zach Koppelmann, Cole Loewer, Emily Hilario; middle row: John Taylor, Jimmy Argo, Ms. Littrell, Cameron Wingert, Kori Goad; front row: Emily Mackey and Grant Loewer.
