By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools
May is an exciting time in the school system and by the time you read this, we will have graduated the Class of 2021 with as much pomp and circumstance as possible!
This year we also tried our hand at something new for our students (and especially our graduates) in the form of two student-focused job fairs. I’d like to thank the more than 30 businesses, the municipal governments, the branches of the military, and our local post-secondary institutions for their participation. Students were so excited to have so many employment opportunities and it was awesome to see the smiles on their faces as many of them secured their first jobs ever. It was awesome, too, to see all of the moms, dads, and grandparents who brought students to the fairs.
I think we can all remember our first jobs and what we learned from them. We can all also probably recall the salaries we earned!
I began my working career as a scorekeeper for Oakland Terrace at 13 years old. While the $1.50 a game I made was incredibly important to me at the time, the more important memory is that this job is where I met my wife!
While working and going to school, I learned the importance of being responsible and being punctual and I learned to work with others. Those are all life skills that I hope our students learn while they are in school or working part-time jobs.
The job fairs got me thinking about first jobs and so I thought it might be fun to hear from some of our beach administrators about their first jobs and what they learned.
Amy Harvey, the principal of our brand-new A. Gary Walsingham Academy, earned $4.25 an hour from her first job working at the old Corn Dog 7 in the Panama City Mall. Amy remembers her fast-food career and the lessons she learned. “This job definitely highlighted for me the importance of being kind to others,” she said. “Interacting with so many different people each day, I learned very quickly that people do not always treat food service workers with kindness and respect. All of these years later, I can still recall specific interactions I had with people during my time at Corn Dog 7. These interactions had a profound effect on me as a person, as it definitely taught me to be mindful of how my words and actions will affect others.”
Patronis Elementary Principal Brooke Loyed, was employed at a retail store for her first job. She said she still remembers literally punching the time clock in and out on each shift. “I learned that retail work is hard work with long hours and you’re always on your feet,” she said. “And you learn customer service skills galore.” Glenda Nouskhajian, principal of Hutchison Beach Elementary, also worked retail for her first job. “I worked in the Service Merchandise Jewelry Department for $4.50 an hour,” she said. “I learned I needed a new job to be able to afford jewelry LOL.” Nouskhajian said her retail experience convinced her that becoming a teacher was the right career path for her future.
West Bay Elementary Principal Deniece Moss learned about being an employee while working at the movie theater. She said her first job taught her “how to work with others!”
An ice-cream distributor was the site of Breakfast Point Academy Clint Whitfield’s first job. He said the job came with many benefits. “I made $7 an hour and got to eat the damaged containers of ice cream,” he said. “I think I gained 20 pounds that summer.” This sounds like a dream job for many teenagers!
Surfside Principal Matt Pitts had probably the most interesting (and maybe the most dangerous) first job. “I worked for a timber company in Blountstown and walked through snake-infested waters cutting lines with a machete for $5.65 an hour,” he said. “I learned I wanted to go to college!”
Washing cars at age 14 taught Britt Smith, principal of J.R. Arnold High, quite a few lessons. “I was 14 years old and the shift was from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. with a 20-minute lunch,” he explained. “I could only work on Saturdays and was assigned to vacuum cars for $2.25 per hour.”
Smith added, “I learned that I did not want to do physical labor during Florida summers my entire life and that I would have ‘made it’ in life if I did not have to work weekends. I also learned that I needed to get a good education if I was to accomplish these goals.”
While school focuses on academics, we also want to make sure our students are well-rounded citizens and that they have the life skills they need in order to be successful. First jobs in high school (and even middle school for some of our 14-year-olds) teach our students so much about the working world, what they need in order to be successful, and even what they don’t want to do as adults!
I know there’s a labor shortage out there and it’s summertime on the beach which means an influx of tourists and an even higher demand for employees. If you own a beach business, I hope you’ll take a chance on a student from Bay District Schools. Our students are eager to learn, determined to make a difference, and passionate about contributing to their communities. They need YOU to help them learn critical life skills.
Thank you for all that you do to support our students, our schools, our families, and our employees. Stay safe and God Bless!
