Local Companies Should Adopt Schools

One of the bright spots in my town is that all of the local public schools are either in new buildings or being rebuilt.

One of the middle schools I subbed in will be in their new school later this year, which is good thing.

The school itself looks and feels like Buchanan High from” Welcome Back Kotter”.

The paint is chipped, the floors are worn and the windows have bars on them.

Overall, the building has a cold, prison-like feel to it, which sub-consciously spills into some of students’ whom are at times quite unruly.

This shouldn’t have been the case.

The school is named after a local major corporation (which we will call “X”) which is still industry leader in the world.

In fact, the school and corporation X’s headquarters are only a few traffic lights from each other.

However, wouldn’t it have been interesting if corporation X decided to work adopt the school give it an “Extreme Makeover: Education Edition” look.

The school could’ve become state of the art inside and out, working with companies like Apple to furnish it with top flight computers and create education programs that would be beneficial for the students, their parents and the local economy.

In lot of ways, the school could have been a baseball farm system, where through excellent teaching and mentoring, a young middle school student today, might become an executive with corporation X tomorrow.

Experts from the around world could teach classes, while students would a chance to intern with company Corporation X in high school.

Not only could this stop the influx of young talent leaving the area long term, but it could give students, who might feel hopeless, a blueprint of success that they might not have gotten while learning in an old depilated building.  (Taking it a step further, parents of kids could take night classes, which could also help them focus on being successful in life and business).

I know this a pipe dream and most companies care more about the bottom line than the schools around them, but I become frustrated when I hear companies say that can’t find qualified applicants.

Maybe, if they thought outside the box and work with area schools, maybe they would realize there are far more qualified candidates in their backyard than they think.

*(have you read or come across any big time company invested time and money into area schools?)