WHS students, administrators participate in discussion about state’s ‘go-on’ rate

Weiser High School was featured in an in-depth look at the  “go-on” rate and how the state is doing on the goal of having 60 percent of post-high school graduates earn a college degree or certificate.
 Superintendent Wil Overgaard, Weiser High School principal Dave Davies and WHS students were interviewed for the reporting project by the Idaho Education News.
 Overgaard and WHS student Emilly Perez also participated in a townhall discussion on Dec. 4 at BSU on why the state is having a hard time getting the go-on rate up and what some of the answers might be.
 Idaho EdNews reporter Kevin Richert and Channel 6 anchor Michelle Edmonds put together the series of articles, one of which focused on Weiser. The piece was titled, “Weiser students look at going on – and probably moving out.”
 The Weiser School District was picked for the in-depth look at the topic because it is representational of some of the challenges that small, rural districts face in getting young people to continue their education beyond high school, Overgaard said.
 Only 11 percent of adult residents in Weiser have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to census data. The median income is $31,343, which is below the state average of $49,174. Nearly one-third of the population in Weiser is Hispanic, a group that has a historically lower “go-on” rate. 
 Add to that the financial cost of attending one of Idaho’s four-year institutions, which is about $18,000 annually, with two-year colleges costing about half that.
 These represent financial, social and cultural barriers to students going on and completing college. 
 Even with a concerted effort and funding to back it up, the number is stuck at about 42 percent in Idaho, according to Idaho  EdNews. Other states have adopted the same 60 percent goal and none has accomplished it.
 Weiser High School did its own informal survey about the “go-on” rate for the class of 2018. Counselors tried to contact every 2018 graduate this fall to see what they were doing since graduation, Overgaard said.
 They discovered that 52 percent enrolled in a college or university. Ten percent joined the military or are serving missions for their church and 15 percent are working full time. That indicates a 77 percent positive placement for the class of 2018. It could be higher, but the counselors were not able to contact about 20 graduates, Overgaard said.
 Despite the challenges, Overgaard said the district does well in preparing students to seek career or technical training or a college degree after they leave WHS. 
 There are local initiatives that show how the district has put state funds to good use and is assisting students with accomplishing their post-secondary goals.
 Perez is an example of achieving the “go-on” goal. She plans to go to college and has big ambitions for a career in law or a master’s in sociology. To do that she will leave Weiser and likely will pursue a professional career someplace other than Weiser, possibly Boise. 
 When she graduates from high school next May, she will be a first generation college student. Her parents did not attend college, although she has two siblings who have attended college.
 IdahoEd News also interviewed Lucia Carbajal, a Weiser graduate who is in her first year of medical school at the University of Washington. 
 She is enrolled in the WWAMI program that reserves seats at the University of Washington medical school for qualified Idaho students.
 Some of the initiatives at Weiser High School are geared academically for preparing students to go on to college after graduation, while other programs offer students a career-technical education path to the workplace and potentially well-paying jobs.
 The high school offers dual credit courses that allow students to take college courses at WHS for $70 per credit. These credits can be used within the Idaho higher education system. 
 This year more than half of the WHS seniors are enrolled in at least one dual credit class. Sixty percent of those students are taking at least two dual credit classes. Almost 40 percent of WHS juniors are enrolled in at least one dual credit course. 
 In addition the college preparatory curriculum at WHS, the school also offers career technical education programs that provide students with opportunities to learn skills in the following areas: agricultural science, auto repair, health occupations (EMT basic and certified nursing assistant), construction trades, and an exploratory individualized occupational training program.
 This year the district also started a Student to Registered Apprenticeship Program (STRAP). Approved by the Department of Labor there are two senior students who are taking a class in HVAC basics from the College of Western Idaho. They are also working for Comfort Zone here in Weiser and accumulating their apprenticeship hours. The high school hopes to expand that program into the electrical and plumbing trades. 
 The high school has a college and career counselor and a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP) counselor who, along with WHS academic counselors, work with students to complete college applications, conduct scholarship searches, and families fill out the required Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) required for grants and federally protected loans.
 In spite of the challenges Weiser students face in looking to their futures, Overgaard said that teachers, administrators and staff are there to help, support, and encourage kids to plan for a life after high school so that they can find satisfying work, pay, and build a quality of life that allows them to take care of their families and be good citizens wherever they choose to live.
 “We have story after story of how successful our kids have been after leaving Weiser. We’d just like to find ways to lure them all back to live and work and add to our community here,” Overgaard said.

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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