COOPERATIVE BUSINESS EDUCATION

Ghs Seniors Opt For A School To Work Schedule To Learn Business Practices

MRS. JULI RENSEL

Q. How long have you been teaching?

A. I've been teaching for 30 years. 16 at Green with the CBE program.

Q. What is the most interesting job a student has had in CBE?

A. Burnadad Lice Removal She worked there as a receptionist

Q What do you like to do in your free time?

A. Watch my kid play sports. Watch Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland sports.

Q. If you could have any job besides teaching, what would it be?

A Honestly, I only ever wanted to be a teacher.

by Jackson Hall

Cooperative Business Education. It’s what CBE stands for after all. This unique program is a scheduling option for GHS seniors. The class operates almost exactly as a co-op. Cooperative education provides a structured curriculum that integrates academic studies with learning through real work experiences. At Green, the classroom education centers on business and general employment practices. However, when senior Alaina Knowlton was asked what the CBE program meant to her, she provided a much longer response.

“This program has made my senior year. It was absolutely the right choice for me. The chance to learn vital business skills while working a real job for school credit is a special opportunity. It should not be taken for granted. Besides that, my class is a tight-knit one, and I couldn’t imagine this school year without them. It’s teachers like Mrs. Rensel that make students want to show up for class,” said Knowlton.

Mrs. Juli Rensel teaches and advises the CBE program at Green High School through the Portage Lakes Career Center (PLCC). Typically, a CBE senior’s schedule looks like this: a block class for CBE, a period for a language arts class and a period for mathematics. All of this is usually completed before fourth period ends at 10:38 a.m., which is one of the most attractive benefits of this program, according to Knowlton. Then, an essential component of CBE occurs. The CBE seniors leave GHS to go to work. For the student to remain a part of the CBE program, they must have a part-time job and work a minimum of 15 hours a week. There are also requirements for the types of jobs that students can choose. Each placement has to be approved by Rensel herself as it must qualify under CBE guidelines in coordination with Green schools. Additionally, the student’s employer must also agree to the terms of the program and consent to an employer training agreement. Their work performance is not only a part of their grade but the majority of it.

“I go to see every student at the job site. Every few weeks, I make an appointment with the employer to make an observation of my student. Then, I write up their work evaluation. 20% of their grade is my own evaluation, 40% is physical proof of their completed hours every pay period, then the other 40% is a written evaluation from their employer every nine weeks,” said Rensel on the grading structure for the program.

The approved jobs include some sort of business or marketing element. Rensel mentioned that the typical CBE job has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Pre Covid, most of the jobs were known as business internships under large companies such as FedEx and Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. Whereas, other offices and law firms. However, according to Rensel. Be distribution as well.

CBE students pose for a picture during a school fire drill

PHOTO BY: MS. MILLER

“So the times have chang just cook. They have to as business tasks,” said Rensel on the differing jobs in a post-pandemic workforce. Rensel not only knows her sharp business skills. In spreadsheets, Publisher, math, interviewing and resumes, and resignation letters, credit.

For Knowlton, she realiz Chipotle and Picks on PLX.

"I see what Rensel teaches on how to correctly approach have that knowledge," said Knowlton.