| Perkins staff, HYS meet with Congressman Rogers |
Thank congressman for his support of Job Corps
Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center Director Thomas Rainey and Business Community Liaison Jimmie Slone were part of a delegation of Horizons Youth Services representatives that met with Congressman Hal Rogers at his office in Washington, DC on Nov. 3. Also meeting with Congressman Rogers were
 Muhlenberg Job Corps Center Director Eric Jones, MJCC BCL Karen Robinson, HYS Director of Operations Ian Crump and HYS President Pete Calvo. Perkins Job Corps thanks Congressman Rogers for his continued support of the center and of the Job Corps program. Job Corps works!
Pictured, seated, left to right: Eric Jones; Jimmie Slone; and Karen Robinson. Standing, Ian Crump; Congressman Rogers; Thomas Rainey; and Pete Calvo.
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Perkins students work to restore historic Virginia chapel
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Four students from Carl D. Perkins Job Corps, including two brothers, were among 11 Job Corps students who spent two weeks in Virginia completing Phase II of the Long's Chapel Restoration Project. Other students represented the Charleston and Muhlenberg Job Corps centers. The project, which started Oct. 19, ran through Oct. 30.
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The Perkins team, accompanied by Facilities Maintenance Instructor Ricky Yates, center, pictured with Al Jenkins, left, president of the Long's Chapel Preservation Society.
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Perkins students participating in this project included Eric O'Brien, enrolled in the Perkins carpentry program; his brother, Adam O'Brien, also enrolled in carpentry; Brandon Harris, enrolled in carpentry; and Javarous Pointer, enrolled in culinary arts. The Perkins students were accompanied by Perkins Facilities Maintenance Instructor Ricky Yates, who worked with the students the entire two weeks. While most of the team worked on site, Pointer focused on food preparation for the team by working in the kitchen at Camp Horizons, preparing meals for the Long's Chapel volunteers as well as for delegates attending the SGA Leadership Conference at camp.
Long's Chapel is a historic site located just outside Harrisonburg, VA, that served as a center for worship, education and community for newly freed slaves living in the rural community of Zenda. The simple wooden structure was purchased in 1869 and became a focal point for Zenda residents before eventually falling into disrepair.
Phase I of the Long's Chapel Restoration Project was completed in August 2009 by students from the Whitney M. Young, Muhlenberg, North Texas and Sacramento Job Corps centers.
The two-week Phase II project gave students the opportunity to put their job training to use and earn up to 80 hours of work-based learning. The project included site preparation, a fresh look to the chapel's exterior, a new ramp to provide easier and safer access to the chapel along with a new landing for a new entrance to the building, improved walkways, fresh landscaping and additional seating inside the chapel.
While the project certainly gave students on-the-job training, it provided even more as students talked about the impact and satisfaction of being a part of such an important historical preservation project.
 Adam O'Brien echoed the sentiments of many when, during the SGA Leadership Conference banquet Oct. 29, which the Long's Chapel volunteers also attended, he called his involvement in the project life changing. O'Brien shared a bit of the history of Long's Chapel with SGA delegates, and stressed the importance of taking time to talk with and learn from others. He specifically thanked Long's Chapel Preservation Society President Al Jenkins for all the information and passion for the project that he shared with students.
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From Perkins SPS program to a job with Wyoming Corrections
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Graduate Javaaron Hale now works as a corrections officer
Javaaron Hale's simple statement says it all: "Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center worked for me." The high school diploma and job training he received in the Security & Protective Services program at Perkins gave him the skills he needed to land a job as a corrections officer with Wyoming State Corrections, making $25 an hour.
 Hale, from Lexington, KY, enrolled at Perkins in May 2014, knowing that he had a lot of work to do to complete his high school diploma and get the job training he needed, but he was ready to make a change and begin a new journey in his life.
He quickly became a class leader, earned his high school diploma, completed the SPS program at Perkins, and finished a work-based learning internship with the Prestonsburg Fire Department. He also obtained several crucial certifications, such as OC (Oleoresin Capsicum), Handcuffing, Use of Force and Expandable Baton, to name a few, while also working security at several local events. Hale also worked part time after hours at Walmart.
Following completion of all program requirements, Hale landed a job with Securitas in Lexington, KY in March 2015, working private security. But his dream always had been to work in corrections. In October, he received the call he had been waiting for - a job offer as a corrections officer in Wyoming.
Javaaron Hale thanks Carl D. Perkins Job Corps for helping him achieve his goal. For Javaaron, Job Corps works!
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Perkins students bring smiles to faces of old an young alike
Students from Carl D. Perkins Job Corps worked Saturday, Oct. 24 to make a difference in their community while bringing smiles to the faces of children and seniors alike.
 Carl D. Perkins Job Corps students Karessa Perry-Well, Amber Eckstein, Savanna Sayne, Robert Lopez, Addysin Marstella and Kaitlyn King spent their Saturday working two different events in the community. The first event was held at the East Kentucky Science Center, where students assisted with early childhood activities that were part of the Floyd County Early Childhood Council's Fall Math and Science Day. Perkins students worked with children on sand activities, counting and measuring, and assisted visitors to the planetarium show and animal show.
 The second event was held at the River View Nursing Home where the students assisted with the Community Safe Trick or Treat and the residents' Fall Festival. Students arrived early to help with the set-up of festival games and decorations. They spent the evening manning the ring toss, fishing game, corn hole and the tattoo table.
The students all stated that they felt a real sense of giving back to their community, and enjoyed the fact that they brought so many smiles to the faces of young and old alike on this chilly autumn day.
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SGA officers attend four-day leadership conference
Student Government Association officers from Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center spent four days honing their leadership skills at the Fall 2015 SGA Leadership Conference at Camp Horizons. The conference ran Oct. 27-30.
 The Perkins team included Gene Borders, president; Devontae Lewis, vice president; Jessica Caperton, sergeant at arms; Dwayne Clarke, secretary; Jessica Cook, treasurer; and Ronnie Carrington, committee chairperson. The team was accompanied by SGA Advisor Jennifer Shortridge and BJ Barnett, maintenance technician at Perkins.
The conference opened with a series of team challenges that encouraged critical thinking, problem solving and team unity. SGA officers then divided their time between classroom sessions that focused on leadership training, team building and effective communication and the high ropes experience that forced students out of their comfort zone and into the trees for exhilarating experiences that boosted their self-confidence. SGA delegations also visited the nearby historic Long's Chapel to hear about the chapel's restoration project and see first-hand the work that fellow Job Corps students, including four from Carl D. Perkins Job Corps, completed during the two-week restoration project.
A conference highlight was Thursday's banquet and guest speaker Art Dean, special assistant to the president for diversity at James Madison University. Dean urged students to rely on positive people around them, make decisions with their future in mind and remember that each day brings new opportunities.
The conference ended with each SGA delegation presenting an action plan to the entire conference. The theme of the action plans was making Job Corps communities drug and violence free. The Perkins team's plan called for creating and promoting on-campus organizations that use many of the team building exercises learned during the conference to promote an inclusive, unified student and staff population.
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Light the Night for Leukemia, Lymphoma research
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Students show flexibility as they volunteer for annual event
On Oct. 1, Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Security & Protective Services students learned what the phrase "other job duties as needed" means.
 SPS students headed out that rainy night to work at the annual "Light the Night Walk" held by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Students thought they knew the plan -- direct traffic while the event was taking place, and assist patrons if needed. However, the students soon found themselves doing far more than security as they pitched in where the event organizers were shorthanded. Some students manned the helium balloon station preparing balloons for the walk, some assisted in monitoring the inflatables where youngsters played for most of the evening, and others carried and set up tables for the vendors. Students also stayed after the event to assist with taking down tents, and stacking tables and chairs. Event Chair Scrappy Barnes stated, "We could not have done the event without the help of the Perkins Job Corps students."
LLS is accelerating cures for leukemia and lymphoma by providing patient support services, advocacy for lifesaving treatments and promising cancer research. This is the third year that the Perkins students and staff have assisted with this event.
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Running to support diabetes research
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Students, staff run, while SPS students assist with security
Carl D. Perkins Job Corps students and staff recently participated in the Floyd County Health Department's annual 5K run for Diabetes. The cool morning on Oct. 10 provided
perfect running conditions for the group, with Perkins Security and Protective Services student William Ortez finishing 1st in his age group.
SPS students and instructor Beverly Compton worked the event with the Prestonsburg Police Department, directing traffic to ensure the safety of the runners.
This is the third year the center has assisted with the race, and the first year that students and staff actually ran in the race. The race is sponsored by the Floyd County Health Department and the Floyd County Diabetes Coalition.
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Staff creates a haunted hallway to celebrate the end of a busy week
Staff at the Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center donned their scariest costumes and transformed a hall on center into a haunted hallway when they hosted a "Haunting Friday" for students at the end of the training day on Oct. 30. The hallway had more than its share of clowns, zombies and other scary creatures, thanks to the creativity of the carpentry and electrical class. It was a great way to end a week of students working hard in the classroom and in the community on several projects. Students also received treat bags during the event.
Perkins' Student Government Association also hosted a costume dance on Oct. 31 at the center.
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478 Meadows Branch
Prestonsburg, KY 41653-1501
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