Beyond School Walls at Hastings High School is coordinated by counselor, Jeff Bittfield, is a program where high school students pair up with employees at local businesses in our community.
Sophomore Madi Trindle and senior Briana Lundquist are enthusiastic about the program getting under way.
“I’m looking forward to being able to job shadow people and see what Beyond Schools Walls really is,” newcomer Madi Trindle said.
“I think it’s beneficial in showing kids their options of their potential career fields,” Lundquist said.
Both girls are thrilled to have another person to look up to.
“You look to someone for advice,”  Lundquist said.
Both Trindle and Lundquist are thrilled to see what Beyond School Walls will give them experience in regarding future careers.
“It gave me someone to ask my questions to that works in the engineering field everyday,” Lundquist said.
“It will help me decide what area of the medical field I want to go in if I go in that direction,” Trindle said.
This program provides the students a sneak peak of the day-to-day tasks for the profession they’re looking into.
“Last year we had a lot of industry tours mostly in manufacturing which is beneficial to know how many opportunities there are in a small town like Hastings,” said Lundquist.
Last year, many students interested in the manufacturing field got the opportunity to have a mentor in the Beyond School Walls program.
Jeff Bittfield, who is in his second year of being a counselor at HHS, has taken great measures to expand the program from ten students to around 60 students this year.
“This year, we will continue pairing up students with mentors in the manufacturing industry and have added a partnership with Mary Lanning Healthcare for students who are interested in the health field,”  Bittfield said.
The students go to the place of employment of their mentor to get an insider’s perspective on the workplace.
“This program gives our students another supportive adult in their life. One of our students last year was offered a job at a local industry after their mentoring experience,” Bittfield said.
Beyond School Walls is a great opportunity for Hastings High students to start finding a vision into their future.
