Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for new career readiness labs at Brunswick Middle School

BRUNSWICK — Starting this school year, Brunswick Middle School students are engaging in hands-on labs that lead to a variety of career paths. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the career readiness labs at the middle school on Monday. Superintendent Jason Niedermeyer said guidance counselor Kathy Rhoades was instrumental in bringing the program to the middle school. "Kathy reached out to Pat Geschke, our director of instruction and innovation, and said, 'Hey, we got to look into this,'" he said. "Before we know it, we're sending a team out to Barberton to check out what they were doing. There are few times where we send out a group of people to go see something that somebody else is doing where they come back and knock the door down saying we need to bring this to our Brunswick kids." Angela Ebert and Jake Fudale teach the labs at the middle school. Geschke said students work in teams and experience a variety of modules. Each module lasts about two weeks until the students move on to a different one. "There's some choice involved with things they might be interested in," he said. "We kind of push kids to maybe try things that they might not have experienced before." Many of the modules are aligned with what is being taught at the Medina County Career Center, so if kids express an interest in something from the lab, they can continue to pursue it, Geschke said. "Our students learn how to perform CPR and use an AED," Fudale said. "They're designing clothes in the classroom, drawing blood on a human fake arm and a fake dog in the room. Students are learning how to weld and do home maintenance things like changing wire fixtures and hanging drywall." The labs can help students feel success when they may not otherwise within a school setting, Rhodes said. It also helps connect school to careers and possibly guide students to their own career. "A profession is such an important part of one's identity, and helping guide students to a meaningful and enjoyable career is some of the most important work we can do," she said. "I truly believe that." Ebert said seeing the kids in the lab is amazing, and the program allows students to see what they like or dislike early in their life. "We really have enjoyed this experience," Fudale said. "We know how powerful it is for our students, and we know that the opportunities that they're gaining right now are going to help give them that meaningful direction that they need, so we want to continue to do that." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.