Owen Valley JAG students sweep at Region 8 Career Development Conference

Owen Valley High School's Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) students showcased their impressive skills at the Region 8 Career Development Conference in French Lick, Indiana, bringing home a slew of awards and demonstrating their readiness for future careers.  

The competition, which included 10 other JAG programs, highlighted students’ abilities in a range of essential workforce skills.

Melissa Gillenwater, the 11th and 12th grade JAG Specialist at Owen Valley High School, expressed immense pride in her students' achievements.

"These students have worked incredibly hard to develop their skills, and their success at the regional conference is a testament to their dedication and the power of the JAG program," Gillenwater said. "We are thrilled to see them excel and represent Owen Valley so well."

The JAG program is a resiliency-building workforce program that equips students with in-demand employability skills and provides a bridge to post-secondary education and career advancement opportunities.  The regional Career Development Conference allows students to demonstrate these skills in various competitive events.

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Owen Valley students earned top honors in several categories:

Employability Skills: Landon Summerlot, 1st Place; Macie Raymond-Schelfo, 2nd Place

Business Plan: 1st Place – Kale Paquette, Daniel Worthington, and Ella Powell

Project Based Learning (PBL): 2nd Place – Lilly Cox, Gaige Fluet, and Morgan Freeman

Career Preparation: Rylee Burner, 1st Place

Financial Literacy: Ian White, 1st Place

Digital Design: Jason Dotson, 1st Place

Digital Design Brochure (Chapter): 2nd Place

Outstanding Senior: Kearston Roan, Honorable Mention

These outstanding achievements earned the students trophies and cash prizes: $200 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place and $100 for honorable mention.

Six first-place winners from OVHS—Landon Summerlot, Rylee Burner, Ian White and the Business Plan team of Kale Paquette, Daniel Worthington and Ella Powell—will advance to the Indiana State Career Development Conference in Indianapolis on March 14.  They will compete against top JAG students from across the state.

“We are excited for our students to compete at the state level and showcase their talents once again. Their success is an inspiration to all of us at Owen Valley High School,” Gillenwater said.