Woodland ELO Program Gives Back to Community and Prepares Students for Future Careers

At Woodland Junior-Senior High School, Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator Heidi Hicks is helping students connect with their community and realize their full potential. Through job shadows, volunteer work, and mentorships, Hicks’ students are simultaneously exploring future career paths and giving back to their local communities.

One of the primary initiatives of Woodland’s ELO program is its teacher Assistant Program in which students interested in a teaching career have the opportunity to serve as a student mentor at the local elementary school. This program allows students to gain experience working with students in a classroom, and Hicks hopes to expand the program in the coming years.

“I am very thankful for the opportunity it has given me, and it has only brightened my future as a teacher,” said one of Hicks’ students when reflecting on her ELO experience. “I really can’t wait to see where it takes me and what my future holds.”

Another one of the program’s success stories is the development of a school and community food pantry. Hicks was inspired to start the food pantry after hearing the story of a student whose family was struggling with food insecurity. Under Hicks’ leadership, the program partnered with The Good Shepherd Food Bank to create the food pantry where many students volunteer to work and give back to their community.

Hicks says the best part of her daily work is building relationships with her students and helping them see the best in themselves. “This work gives me hope,” said Hicks.

Hicks would like to thank the following community partners for their contributions to Woodland’s ELO program: Woodland IGA, Woodland Elementary School Principal Amanda Belanger, and Sarah Cote from Downeast Lakes Land Trust.

Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are hands-on, credit-bearing courses outside of the traditional classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration. These opportunities are personalized for students and help them explore options for their professional lives. They help students engage in learning through instruction, assignments, and experiential learning. The Maine Department of Education (DOE), along with state-wide partner Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG), have made a concerted effort to provide working models, support, and funding opportunities for Maine schools to set up ELO programs within their school communities. To learn more about Maine’s initiatives with extended learning opportunities, visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/index.php/learning/elo or reach out to Maine DOE ELO Coordinator Rick Wilson at rick.wilson@maine.gov.

UMPI ELO Coordinator Partners with High Schools to Bring Career Opportunities to Both College and High School Students

“It is my job to connect UMPI students with community-based career exploration and paid work experiences outside the classroom,” says Sarah Bushey of her work as the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI). Bushey helps UMPI students find mentorships and opportunities at local businesses and organizations. She also works closely with Valerie Waldemarson, JMG Master Specialist at Caribou High School and Allison Reed, Director of Guidance, Presque Isle High School to bring similar, credit-earning opportunities to younger students.

Bushey says the most rewarding part of her role is seeing the relationships grow between students and their mentors. “Students gain so much confidence from working with a professional in their field,” said Bushey, “and mentors learn new things from students and often discover that students exceed their expectations in terms of expertise and work ethic.” Working closely with a mentor gives these students valuable guidance as they make important decisions regarding their academic and professional careers.

One of Bushey’s students at UMPI recently graduated and accepted a position at a financial services firm after completing an ELO in the same field. Through his ELO experience with Ameriprise Financial LLC, this student gained hands-on experience in marketing and business communications and was able to network in the industry. When reflecting on this experience, the student said, “I am glad I did the ELO as I feel that I gained a lot out of it that helped me understand what to expect and what I am looking for in a future job position.”

Looking to the future, Bushey plans to continue working with Presque Isle and Caribou high schools to bring ELO experiences to their students. She also plans on collaborating with UMPI’s JMG Success Specialist and Internship Coordinator. One of her main goals as UMPI’s ELO Coordinator is to have ELOs embedded into the college’s course curriculum in the future, which they are piloting this semester with their first-year education class, EDU 152.

Bushey would like to thank the following organizations for their contributions to UMPI, Presque Isle high school and Caribou high school’s ELO programs: Ameriprise Financial LLC, Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital, Northeast Paving LLC, Barresi Financial, Paradox Graphic Design, Zippel Elementary School, F&B Couture, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Dead River Company, Sullivan’s Flooring Company, Hannaford, Versant Power, S.W. Collins, Pines Health Services, Cary Medical Center, County Physical Therapy, Burger Boy, Solman & Hunter, Scott Martin Farm, County Ag & Turf Supply, Evergreen Lanes, Caribou Police Department, Caribou Recreational Department, Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department, Caribou Nursing Home, Northern Maine Dental, Par & Grill Restaurant, Frontier Pharmacy, Shear Precision, Rejuvenate Health & Medical Spa, Thrive Body Spa, Ruska Coffee Company, Miss Jordyn’s Childcare and Preschool, Hack & Gouge Welding, Hope and Justice Project, Caribou Eye Care, Northern Maine Medical Center, Phoenix Direct Care, Rockwell & Quilan, Second Chances Thrifts & Boutique, Halfway Home Pet Rescue, and East of Eden Horse Stables.

Brunswick ELO Program Expanding Career Exploration Opportunities for Students

As an Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Ed Tech, Molly Myers supports “the expansion of career exploration experiences and career planning” at Brunswick High School. From career fairs to internships, Myers helps students prepare for their post-high school pursuits.

The program has been incredibly successful among Brunswick students with about 20 students participating directly in ELOs and another 200 taking part in other career-related activities. These related activities included virtual job shadows, career fairs, guest speakers and panels, and more. Myers created course-specific career exploration for teachers to use in their classrooms to help students broaden their horizon of what might be possible through what they are learning in the present.

Students directly involved in the ELO program have completed paid work experiences, such as internships, in several lines of work including healthcare, culinary, veterinary medicine, and education. Through these experiences, students gained confidence in trying new things, asking for help, solving problems, and, in the end, articulating their learning to the larger community.

Myers says the best part of her job is “meeting with students and hearing the stories of their interests, passions, and amazing accomplishments both within and beyond school!”

Myers would like to thank Cory King for being a huge help and supporter of Brunswick’s ELO program.

South Portland ELO Coordinator Making Career Exploration Opportunities More Accessible for Students

As South Portland High School’s Extended Learning Coordinator, Sheree Inman hopes to open career exploration opportunities to as many students as possible. When South Portland received the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) grant, Inman was tasked with uniting the school’s existing internship and co-op programs and expanding these offerings to more students. Inman has been immensely successful in implementing the school’s ELO Program with many students participating in internships, job shadows, and other career-related opportunities.

Through the program, South Portland students have been able to pursue ELOs in a wide variety of career fields including banking, real estate, media, firefighting, veterinary care, and more. One of Inman’s students was interested in finance and accounting and went on to intern for Saco Biddeford Savings Bank for her ELO. Through this internship, she gained hands-on experience in bank telling, accounting, and marketing and was able to spend time in their corporate office. This is just one of the program’s many success stories in which students have been able to gain professional experience and a head start on their career path.

Another career exploration opportunity available to students through the program is the annual career fair. “This is where students can talk to employers about occupations and opportunities beyond high school,” said Inman. Several local businesses at the career fair also offer job shadows and internships for students.

“The best part of my job is when I can make a connection with a student into a field that they really want to learn more about,” said Inman. Seeing students get excited about these opportunities gives her a great sense of pride in her work.

“Without this type of programming in schools, students don’t always get to see what actually happens in various career fields,” said Inman. In the future, she hopes to continue to provide individual ELO opportunities while expanding offerings for group ELO experiences. She is also working with special education teachers to help bring ELO opportunities to their students.

Inman and the South Portland ELO Program are very thankful to their community business partners and to South Portland’s Economic Development Director William Mann.

Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are hands-on, credit-bearing courses outside of the traditional classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration. These opportunities are personalized for students and help them explore options for their professional lives. They help students engage in learning through instruction, assignments, and experiential learning. The Maine Department of Education (DOE), along with state-wide partner Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG), have made a concerted effort to provide working models, support, and funding opportunities for Maine schools to set up ELO programs within their school communities. To learn more about Maine’s initiatives with extended learning opportunities, visit: https://www.maine.gov/doe/index.php/learning/elo or reach out to Maine DOE ELO Coordinator Rick Wilson at rick.wilson@maine.gov.

Second Annual ELO Conference Sparks Learning, Collaboration, and Celebration of Career Exploration Programs in Maine Schools

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) partnered to host the 2nd Annual ELO (Extended Learning Opportunities) conference at the University of Maine at Orono (UMaine) recently. The event brought together more than 75 ELO coordinators, mostly from difference school administrative units, across three days.

The conference offered sessions on an array of topics important to ELO coordinators looking to start up and/or expand their career exploration programming. Sessions included how to expand reach to students, how to share information with local school boards, civic dialogue, and engagement, working with community partners, using technology to enhance programming, establishing programming, special education, working with local businesses, regional work, curriculums, expanding ELOs to involve classroom teachers, and so much more.

In addition to the dynamic and diverse set of sessions offered at the conference, Maine DOE and JMG also took time to celebrate all that they have accomplished in recent years with the support of the Maine Jobs and Recovery Program (MJRP) funding. This funding has given Maine the ability to award grants to 180 schools/districts across Maine to start or expand ELO programs, provide customizable pre-designed ELO programs, networking opportunities, and ongoing technical support and professional learning, while also highlighting the work of ELO coordinators to showcase the positive impact the expansion of ELO programming has had on Maine youth and the future workforce here in Maine.

Highlights included small group conversations with Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin, a State of the State Address from JMG Vice President of Extended Learning Opportunities Samantha Brink, and a student presentation and panel by students from Windham High School’s ELO Program. The students presented their senior project which aims to examine ELO programs across Maine in hopes of breaking down barriers to career exploration for Maine students to help inform and improve Maine’s ELO programing.

Commissioner Makin talking with ELO Coordinators

ELO Conference Session

JMG Vice President of Extended Learning Opportunities Samatha Brink

ELO Students and Teachers from Windham High School

ELO Conference Session

During the event, Maine DOE and JMG recognized recent ELO grant awardees with a special ceremony and provided awardees with time to provide Maine DOE with feedback to help contribute to the ongoing improvement of ELO education practices and policies.

To learn more about ELO programs in Maine, including opportunities for learning, assistance, and information, visit the Maine DOE website or reach out to Rick Wilson at rick.wilson@maine.gov.