Students Mix Work Desires With Learning

Kevin Corcoran stood before his fellow would-be chefs at the Spokane Skills Center with a chance to redeem himself.

His teacher, chef Bill Allen, called the Lewis and Clark High senior before the class and gave him instructions on how to make mayonnaise from scratch.

“Last year I poured the oil in the mixer too fast and messed it up,” Corcoran said.

This time he learned from the mistake and ended up with a decent batch of mayo.

“I really like it out here,” Corcoran said. “This class is great, as long as you stay on Chef’s good side,” he added with a laugh.

The LC senior is one of 700 students from the South Hill and throughout Spokane County who attend the center, located at 4141 N. Regal.

Josh Hames, a senior at Jantsch, said there’s a profound difference between school and the Spokane Skills Center.

“I don’t think of this as school,” he said. “You can’t sleep in here.”

The center is part of the public school system operating as an extension of 32 area high schools to provide students with professional and technical skills.

Students spend half their day at the center and the other half at their home school.

The programs at the skills center provide an inexpensive way to provide quality occupational training that would be too pricey at every high school, said Assistant Director Don Howell.

“This is a real gold mine,” Howell said. “We’ve got students here ranging from special education to the honor roll.”

The center is 18 years old, but Howell said a lot of parents and students still don’t know vocational education is available.

“We’ve got 700 students, but we have the potential for a lot more,” he said.

The skills center operates as a cooperative of nine area school districts: Cheney, Deer Park, Mead, Medical Lake, Nine Mile Falls, Spokane and Central, West and East Valley.

It’s governed by an administrative council composed of the district superintendents.

Home and private school students are welcome.

Participating districts maintain, equip and upgrade the center. The center recently received a three-year, $300,000 technology grant provided by the districts.

Juniors and seniors with a minimum of six credits who are 16 years of age are eligible to attend.

All programs have a lab fee for materials and supplies ranging from $10 to $50.

Students can register for the center through their counselors. Classes run three periods a day, and students earn 1 credits.

The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction tracks the center’s graduates.

In its 1998 report, based on the class of 1996, 56 percent of skills center students are currently employed both part and full time; another 35 percent are working and attending a two- or four-year college; 6 percent are at a two-year college; 2 percent are at a four-year college; and 4 percent are in the military.

Allen, who students simply call “Chef,” is quick to point out that the skills center is a complement to the students’ academic foundation, not a replacement.

“We want them to apply these skills to their curriculum,” he said.

“By being in here, the hope is they will want to learn because they can see what they can do with it.

“This isn’t for special, needy or dropout kids.”

Last year, more students enrolled in chef training than any other class offered. Students learn to make food items from scratch.

Allen, a member of the Professional Chefs Association, has taught at the skills center for 15 years. He said the job has provided him with many rewards.

“I could have made more money in private industry, but the time I have been able to spend with these kids, as well as my own, just can’t be replaced.”

Meanwhile, Hames is thankful for Allen’s presence.

“I had dyslexia, and I’ve always been a slow reader,” he said. “But I’ve always loved cooking.

“Once I got in here, then it made school mean something to me.”

COURSES AVAILABLE Here are the 1998-99 course offerings available through the Spokane Skills Center: Automotive: Collision repair, electrical systems, engine performance, brake systems and suspension and steering. Communications:Printed graphics (includes printedudcation certification, electronic imaging, press operator, photography, multimedia and interactive publishing), broadcasting, commercial art. Computers: Computer applications, Web authoring, network management, system administration. Construction: Residential construction, cabinetry, retail hardware and lumber sales, building maintenance, plumbing. Engineering: Industrial electronics, electronic concepts, robotics, machine technology, welding fabrication. Health and human services: Cosmetology, dental assisting, nursing assistant, medical office. Hospitality and food services: Chef training, baking/pastries, customer service, hospitality management, kitchen/bakery assistant.

STUDENTS HAIL FROM MANY SCHOOLS Here are the schools that Skills Center students come from (compiled from enrollment in October 1997): Bancroft 2 Barker Center 1 Central Valley 60 Cheney 39 Deer Park 3 East Valley 59 Ferris 47 Freeman 4 Harrington 1 Jantsch 22 Lakeside 13 Lewis and Clark 60 MAP 1 Marion Heights 1 Mead 76 Mead Alternative 1 Medical Lake 12 Mt. Spokane 16 North Central 28 Tekoa-Oakesdale 9 REAL 1 Rogers 82 Shadle Park 23 Spokane Valley 12 Spokane Valley Contract 10 University 37 West Valley 39 Gonzaga Prep 2 Valley Christian 1 Homeschooled 6 Other 13 Total 681