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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, June 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 31, 2004 Cody Barrett, 15, tightens the back wheel of a bicycle at the Job Council in Medford. He and other teens in the Freshman Connections program are learning to repair bikes that will then be given to community members in need. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven School for skills Connections gives students work ethic and high school credit at the same time By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — In his first year of high school, Crater freshman Cody Barrett helped package food for a local shelter, restore a historic cemetery and build bird houses for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. This week, the 15-year-old and a dozen fellow students participating in the Crater High Freshman Connections program learned they soon will be able to add bike repair skills and charitable giving to their resumes in a project that will provide low-income community members with refurbished bicycles. Freshman Connections, funded through a grant by Trust Management Services of Waldport and administered through the Job Council and Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, is geared at engaging students in a nontraditional learning environment while teaching job skills and helping the community. Job Council crew leader Stacie Grier said the program, which will head into its third school year, provides an opportunity for students who learn best "outside of the box." Students sign up for the program on an elective basis and spend half their time in a traditional classroom setting and the other half working on special projects off campus. Advertisement "The biggest benefit for these kids is it gives them an opportunity to learn some work ethic and get high school credits at the same time," Grier said. "They call it experimental education. It’s a proven fact that we learn by doing. "These kids are getting out in the community and being given opportunities to learn through building and fixing." The bike repair program not only helps Connections students but also gives community members a means of transportation. The majority of the program’s bicycles came from Medford and Central Point police departments. As a condition of acceptance, the program must be able to account for where the bikes end up. "We’re not sure how to approach distribution of bikes yet," said Grier. "We want the kids to help decide, because they will be the ones doing the good deed. Some of the things we’ve talked about are giving them to people who have actually had bikes stolen or providing them to people without transportation to work, which ties right into some other goals of the Job Council." Cody said he’s enjoyed all of his Connections projects but is especially excited over the opportunity to help a community member get to — and keep — a much-needed job. "It’s a pretty amazing program," he said. "I like more hands-on learning than having to sit in a classroom and listen to teachers. We usually learn a lot of stuff from it, and it’s supposed to give us a chance to think about what we might want to do. "And it’s pretty cool to think we’ll get a chance to help people be able to get around and get to work who aren’t able to afford to buy cars." Grier said program coordinators were waiting for final approval to house the program in White City at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics, formerly known as the domiciliary. Coordinators are seeking volunteer technicians, additional bicycles, storage space and a reliable used van to transport students. For more information, contact Job Council Youth Program Manager Sherri Stratton at 776-5100. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. 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