Sikeston High School holds job olympics for students

SIKESTON, Mo. (KFVS) - Sikeston High School hosted an event on Friday, March 3 for its students to learn real-world job skills with community employers.

They compete in activities like stocking shelves. They match the barcode on the item, to the barcode on the shelf. They’re judged and scored by employers in the community.

“As many kids as possible that we can give opportunities to get in front of employers and get these job skills and soft skills,” Chad King, director of Sikeston Career and Technology Center, said.

One of the students participating is Sam Tyler.

“I learned that in the job you interview, you have to shake hands, you have to be polite, and have some eye contact too,” Tyler said.

“They’re getting a real-world application of what it’s going to be like when they go out and interview for jobs,” King said.

They’ve been practicing these skills in class since January.

“It gives them an opportunity to display these job skills that they’ve been working so hard on in their programs at school,” Black said.

“So many of them talk about their goals, their dreams, and their hopes,” Columbia Trout said. She is one of the student’s teachers at Sikeston High School.

“And by doing this kind of program, us as teachers can help support those goals and dreams and hopes for life after school,” she continued.

Aside from their competitions, the real-world aspect is teaching them something else.

“Learning that being nervous is okay, and you’re not going to fail if you’re going to be nervous,” Trout said.

Judges will pick winners, but the lessons they learn through their experience means more to them than any medal.

“I learned if you do good then you might potentially get hired,” Tyler said.

The teachers hope to continue doing the program and want to involve students from more schools.

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