JAG-K, Jobs for America’s Graduates Kansas, a new class recently was added to McPherson High School, the class will be officially starting September third.  JAG-K is a class that prepares students for their future.  Students in the class will be preparing for college and future careers, preparing for an interview, organization skills and anything that can help with their futures.  Students in the class will get special benefits like job shadowing opportunities, guest speakers and getting out into the community.  The class is very individualized to each student.

JAG is located in a lot of places in the United States run by a state-based national non-profit organization.  Though it is recently new, the popularity is growing.  JAG’s mission is to help resolve America’s dropout rate by helping students overcome barriers and become college ready. Students who go through the JAG program has a 98% graduation rate.

The JAG-K teacher at MHS is Katelyn Loeker, a recent graduate from Oklahoma State.  Loeker says, “I recently was looking for a position that I can help students with their future. JAG-K looked like a program to do just that. I learned about it and researched it and it fell right into my lap.”  Loeker saw an opportunity to bring a positive class to MHS and took a chance on it, “With the help of my regional director and the counselors and all of the career advocates <we> sat down and went about this process of ‘how do you want to go through the selection process?’ and ‘where the classroom should be and what it should look like?”

Though the class can benefit everyone, students are selected to be apart of the class.  Students can be picked for a number of reasons. Students can be picked for having certain barriers to success, not knowing what to do after High School, kids who want help getting to their desired career, and students who seem like a good fit for the class.  Loeker says, “JAG-K  basically helps students prepare for their futures and kind of bridge that gap of what they want to do and how to get there.”