Elementary students learn about community businesses

Plaques for 15 years with the Community Business Partner Program were presented to Hy-Vee, Lincoln Highway Animal Hospital and WESCO Industries. Pictured from left are Callie Johnson with Hy-Vee, with her business partner teacher, April Thelen (first grade); Jayne Lyons, fourth grade teacher, business partner with Lincoln Highway Animal Hospital; and Rachel McMinemee, first grade teacher, business partner with WESCO Industries, represented by Aubrey Sholty. Not pictured is Dr. Beth Reineke with Lincoln Animal Highway Hospital, who was unable to attend the business partner kickoff on Monday. Photo by Gordon Wolf

The Community Business Partner Program at the Denison Community School District celebrated its Golden Birthday on Monday.

September 18 was the kickoff meeting for the 18th year of the program.

The goals of the business partner program are to strengthen school and community relationships by pairing community business leaders with classrooms of students, from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.

Through these partnerships, the students learn about businesses and the career opportunities in the community.

Another goal is showing students the academic and soft skills and the character traits that are necessary to be successful in those careers.

Additionally, the partnerships can help develop an understanding of the Purple Hands and PurposeFull People initiatives taught at Denison Elementary School and Broadway Elementary School. Both initiatives are character education programs.

More than 40 businesses and services are involved in the Community Business Partner Program. They are asked to meet at least three times with their class, with one of those times as a field trip to that business, if possible.

The school district would like the first meeting to take place before October 18, to have the pictures of the business partners and their classes displayed on a poster for parent-teacher conferences.

The following businesses were presented with plaques to recognize them for years of commitment and service to the program.

15 years: Hy-Vee, Lincoln Highway Animal Hospital, and WESCO Industries

10 years: Donna Reed Foundation, and The Cottage

5 years: Crawford County Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic, Denison Police Department, La Prensa, and Norelius Community Library.

The Donna Reed Foundation and The Cottage were recognized for participating in the Community Business Partner Program for 10 years. From left are Lisa Blum, second grade teacher, business partner with Donne Reed Foundation, represented by Pat Fleshner; and Steph Arkfeld, second grade teacher, business partner with The Cottage, represented by Taylor Borkowski. Photo by Gordon Wolf

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Four business partners received plaques for five years of service to the program. Pictured in front, from left, are Kim Slater, kindergarten teacher, with Erin Schechinger, representing Crawford County Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic. Back: Mayra Velasquez, first grade teacher, with Gordon Wolf, representing La Prensa; Monica Walley with Norelius Community Library and her business partner teacher Stephanie Schmadeke (first grade); and Mayra Bermudez, kindergarten teacher, with Taylor Schwarte and Tony Trejo with the Denison Police Department. Photo by Gordon Wolf

Additionally, the 11 businesses have participated in each of the 18 years the program has taken place: Professional Computer Solutions, Vision Care Clinic, United Bank of Iowa, Crawford County Bank, Denison Chiropractic, Petersen Manufacturing Co., Western Iowa Power Cooperative, Reynold’s Clothing, Denison Care Center, Crawford County Community Health, and the Crawford County office of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

A presentation given by Denison Elementary and Broadway Elementary counselors Tracy Beeck and Sierra Frehse showed the importance of staying current on the job skills that businesses want in their workers.

In 2015 the top 10 most wanted skills were complex problem solving, coordinating with others, people management, critical thinking, negotiation, quality control, service orientation, judgement and decision making, active listening and creativity.

In 2020 the top 10 had changed to people management, complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation and cognitive flexibility.

Projections are that by 2030, the top 10 most wanted skills will be judgement and decision making, fluency of ideas, active learning, learning strategies, originality, system evaluation, deductive reasoning, complex problem solving, systems analysis and monitoring.

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