O-F, E-S students face reality

by Bridget Cooke

It was a busy day for Osseo-Fairchild High School on Thursday, Dec. 11 when they hosted an event called Reality Check which outlined future costs and attempted to prepare juniors for the real world after high school.

Students from O-F as well as Eleva-Strum High School wandered through the stations, beginning with a typical salary of the career they wished to go into found through research they had to conduct before attending.

The committee sponsoring the event was given support from the community. Police Chief Tim Wilson was in attendance and the City Clerk station was manned by the actual town clerk. Volunteers at the event were in full force at every table and were around 50 in number. Some were even representatives of local businesses.

Co-chair of the committee and Information and Technology Systems teacher for Osseo-Fairchild Gwen Skoyen said she was hoping to give the students an understanding of costs, whether for an education or to truly comprehend what a week’s worth of groceries takes out of a person’s wallet.

“The students spend a lot of time this semester looking at their careers and their career choices,” Skoyen said. “We really want to emphasize, we really just want them going into their career with their eyes wide open.”

Skoyen added that 15 percent of a person’s net income goes to loan repayment and noted the nationwide student loan crisis--$1.3 trillion in student loan debt.

She added the importance of fundamentals in everyday life, such as the cost of education, groceries and the vital act of saving or “paying yourself first” with 10 percent of a paycheck. 

“I do think it went really well,” Skoyen said. “Great turnout for our volunteers once again. It’s really fantastic.”

Between 8 a.m. to noon, the group of students swarmed the community gymnasium before then listening to speaker and former educator Tom Kidd talk about the choices individuals make and where they may lead them.

A heavy concept, Kidd reminded the students that while they have a variety of avenues of opportunity, they will also have to make decisions to possibly impact the rest of their lives.

Mostly, Kidd highlighted life skills and their importance. He outlined the skill of quick decision-making, being assertive when standing up for what’s right, problem-solving, refusal, the care-frontation skill, which helps communication with someone who may raise concerns in a non-judgmental way, and the “I” Formula, which helps ease more effective communication.

“He does a fantastic job,” Skoyen said. “It’s just a lot of good background information. It’s an all-around...when life gets stressful, remember there are places to go to.”

Kidd has worked in the past with alcohol and drug rehabilitation and had stories to share with students about not turning to a negative way of life when things become difficult.

The day was packed full of information for any aspiring students about to the leap into college or who were entering the full-time work force. Since the simulation aged them 10 years, all expenses such as car payments and student loans were tacked onto their pay, with the idea that they are juggling responsibilities in their late 20s.

The exercise allows for plenty of research into the reality of income level and what the costs of living are, down to the minute details, from rent to gasoline expenses.

Skoyen made a few changes this year with added research on costs from daycare to rent and to show students that sometimes the cheaper alternative is necessary to maintain a standard of living. 

“It’s supposed to be simulated for a monthly budget,” Skoyen said. “We do see kids go back to the apartment station or trade in their house for an apartment because they can’t afford it because they do have a student loan.”

The schools plan to continue hosting the event for high school students, hoping to aid the state plan for all students to have an academic outline by 2017. Skoyen said the Reality Check provided by forcing students to acknowledge facts and figures may certainly help them make better decisions down the road.

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In September 2013, Cooke was hired as the editor of both the Augusta Area Times and the Tri-County News. She can be reached via ateditor@media-md.net or (715) 597-3313. Follow us on Twitter or check out our Facebook page for more updates!