Electricians Mr. LaPlace (red shirt) and Mr. Richardson (blue shirt) provide guidance to budding electricians, CAHS Seniors Liquan Cruz, and Va-Shawn and Roosevelt Martinez-Ronoso, participants of the Students Shadowing Maintenance program in the St. Thomas-St. John District.
Something magical happens when adults pour into the lives of students. And that’s exactly what’s happening as the result of Charlesworth McCarty, Director of Maintenance and Plant Operations, St. Thomas-St. John District, pairing some of his top electricians with high school students eager to learn the trade.
Mr. McCarty’s Students Shadowing Maintenance (SSM) program began taking shape in January when he said he saw “a need for various skilled workers” in the areas of electrical and air conditioning/refrigeration, carpentry, plumbing and other trades.
“We realize that we are lacking in these areas. Lots of young men sometimes go to college to please their parents, but their interests are in the trades,” Mr. McCarty said, adding, “The division of maintenance and plant operations is aware of the high demand in the fields of plumbing, electrical and air-condition/refrigeration engineers. It is our aim to reinforce the skills that are needed for our students to fill this demand in the future. “
In an effort to help prepare the next generation of tradesmen, Mr. McCarty set out to drum up interest among the district’s high school students. He visited Charlotte Amalie and Ivanna Eudora Kean high schools and gave presentations to a group of young men. In the end, three students from Charlotte Amalie High School began shadowing trained electricians in February.
Seniors Liquan Cruz, and Va-Shawn and Roosevelt Martinez-Ronoso are under the direct supervision of Department of Education field electricians, Mr. LaPlace and Mr. Richardson. The students, who are enrolled in CAHS’s Trade Industry tract in the Career and Technical Education Division, work with the experienced electricians, Monday through Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m. They perform electrical work around the CAHS campus and at other district schools, such as installing electrical outlets, running electrical wires, and installing electrical parts for water fountain bubblers, as well as provide overall electrical assessments of classrooms and other assigned tasks. Mr. McCarty pointed out that the young men enjoy the work so much so that they often don’t want the work day to end. The students receive a grade and their participation satisfies graduation requirements.
“The program is very well received by the students. They take direction well from the supervisors and are very willing to learn,” Mr. McCarty remarked.
The job shadowing program runs from February 13 through May 15. Mr. McCarty expects to begin recruitment efforts for next year’s program, where he hopes to bring on 20-30 student assistants.
