OTTUMWA — Often, students work behind the scenes on what may be the best-kept secret in the Ottumwa Community School District.
They are planting trees, going from one fundraiser to another, shadowing a job, or working on public speaking.
Ultimately, Amber Heckart would like every student to be able to experience one lesson: through Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG), which currently has about 50 high school members.
“One thing I continue to witness is the community talking about how proud they are to see students doing what they do,” said Heckart, the iJAG specialist at Ottumwa High School. “The voices are heard with what they want to be able to do, and then they also find the passion in what they want to do.”
Recently, iJAG presented a check for $5,907 to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City during the Gold Out Game between Iowa and Northwestern. It was a months-long endeavor that required donations from local businesses, but was also student-led, like all things iJAG.
The students are currently organizing a Winter Wonderland competition, which will raise money for a local family in need. Last year, proceeds from the contest, which featured decorated hallways voted on by everyone at OHS, went to the Heartland Humane Society.
But the fundraisers and competitions are just a small piece of iJAG’s mission. In short, they are a few examples designed to create leaders who get things done, but also to prepare students for the real world once they graduate.
Dalana Hubbell, a senior and vice president of leadership for the class, accidentally came across iJAG; she is now in her second year of the class.
“I needed an extra class in my schedule. I was put in it and thought, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to like this.’ I didn’t know what the class was,” she said. “I also didn’t know if I would like aerobics. But here we are today, in our fourth year.
“They said it was like a college prep course, and I thought, ‘Okay, that sounds good.’ It was like we can do whatever we want, but we have to do a certain amount of things, a certain amount of shadowing, volunteering, all for grades. But we get to decide what we do and how it can help us in our future.”
That is the biggest crux of iJAG. It’s a class that isn’t part of the core curriculum, so many people don’t know who’s in it or what it is. Heckart has been involved with iJAG for six years and in that time the company has transformed.
“I always have a lot of plates spinning at once,” she said. “There’s community services, there’s emotional and mental health type things. Then there’s the university. We’ll go to colleges and businesses, and we’ll also ask them to come in and meet with us.”
That’s essentially how insurance salesman and Kiwanis member Tom Shafer got involved. A few years ago he was asked to speak to the iJAG class, and from then on he was hooked. He was heavily involved in iJAG’s cancer fundraising campaign for Stead Hospital.
“Ms. Heckart saw that there was a need that needed to be met,” Shafer said, explaining the success stories he had seen with the program. “Last year there was a young lady, 18 years old, who had a regular job on the night shift at JBS and wanted to get a degree. I came to class and she was taking a nap. I didn’t wake her up because of what she did. She eventually got another job and didn’t work the night shift.
“I think the guidance and help from leadership was important. That was just one life that was impacted, and these students are affected every day by the way they get involved. It’s important to have that responsibility.”
Seniors Autumn Jarrett, the president of this year’s class, and Ashton Stines-Monohon, the vice president of community service in charge of Winter Wonderland, spoke about the benefits iJAG has provided.
“I feel like you get a little bit of financial literacy, but you also get resume building, get out into the community with so many volunteer opportunities,” Jarrett said. “You’re also just connecting with other people in your community. That career development piece and that community piece… I think that’s what it’s for.”
Stines-Monohon added, “We all just stick to our own thing. (Ms. Heckart) helps us find our own person who can stand in the shadows.”
“I don’t think any of us are done with what we started,” Hubbell said. “I tried to focus a little bit on our community and carry that into the next iJAG class.”
Hubbell said all the activities at iJAG make it stressful, but she has found a place for everything.
“I already have two jobs, and balancing school, iJAG, friends and family becomes difficult,” she said. “But everything just falls into its place. It’s going well. You don’t want to get bored in life, so keep yourself busy, keep yourself sharp.
“Do something meaningful. Make sure people don’t forget that you left the world and your name isn’t said.”
