Kristyn Olson led writing the grant proposal. In mid-January, Pocahontas Area was among the north central Iowa school districts that received state grants for STEM, or Science Technology Engineering and Math.

Those STEM BEST grants went to 30 districts in Iowa, with $50,000 to Pocahontas Area.

The grants came from the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education. School districts can use the money for existing or new programs related to science and math.

PAC has had a scaled down School To Work program, but now that will become more robust, Olson said.

“It is an excellent opportunity for us,” she said.

“Pocahontas Area Community High School is excited to build a School To Work program that provides students with hands-on work-based experiences in our community,” she added. “Our goal is to not only enable students to learn through community engagement but also to contribute to addressing local challenges.”

A former third-grade teacher at PAC, Olson is the teacher leader coordinator, and also handles some administrative level tasks. She has personal familiarity with School To Work, as she said, “I did it my senior year,” with some teacher training opportunities before graduating from Twin River Valley School District.

Olson cited the strong bond that pupils and Pocahontas residents feel, in a supportive vibe that came out in the winter squall on Jan. 15 that resulted in students having to stay overnight in school.

“Everybody just pitched in and did their all,” Olson said, then broadened that specific squall-aftermath incident to explain how, “Everybody is going the extra mile to make sure the students are taken care of educationally, socially and emotionally.”

That broad support in the district towns of Pocahontas, Rolfe, Pomeroy and Havelock means many businesses are supportive of having School To Work program students work for them. One example is On Point Nutrition, where students will supplement their academic lessons through working several hours per day, with chances to see if they may want careers in that field.

Olson noted that students can earn differing certifications while attending high school, along with the potential to be paid by some of the School To Work participants. Some local businesses have a hard time being fully staffed, so that is another benefit, she said.

Current partners in the community are Pocahontas State Bank, Availa Bank, Med Spa Express Aesthetics and Wellness, Murray Law Firm, the Pocahontas Record-Democrat newspaper, Hudson’s Crew, Pocahontas Community Hospital, City of Pocahontas, Pocahontas Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Central Community College and the PAC schools.

“This program applies to our board goals by extending classroom learning into real-life experiences where students will be able to think critically, solve real problems and apply technical knowledge,” Olson said.

She said School To Work is a prime place “for students to learn to navigate workplace expectations, collaborate effectively with others and develop resilience to adapt to new challenges, which are all skills needed for success in their futures.”

Angie Axman, a business education teacher, said, “I believe it will increase student interest, engagement, and improve their career readiness skills.”

Olson and Axman noted some students with School To Work skills may remain working in the area after they graduate.

Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Alyssa Maske said she is greatly looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the community members and sponsors who will work with the high school juniors and seniors.

Plans are underway to start PAC Cafe, serving popular coffee and energy-style drinks, with opportunities for special education students to gain work skills.

Olson said the $50,000 STEM BEST Grant will be used in other ways, including to launch a Career Fair in the fall. The money will also be used to update the district website, as paired with a mobile phone application, and to add new security technologies in the schools.

“Those are good things for our district,” Olson said.