EducationOctober 2, 2024

Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG program swore in new leaders, empowering students with career skills and opportunities. Meet the co-presidents and learn how JAG is shaping future success.

Cape Girardeau Central Academy students and co-presidents of the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program Chalyce Horrell, left, and D'Angelo Wiggins give remarks during an installment ceremony  Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.
Cape Girardeau Central Academy students and co-presidents of the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program Chalyce Horrell, left, and D'Angelo Wiggins give remarks during an installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semissourian.com
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG specialist Nichole Buehrle provides opening remarks during the program's installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG specialist Nichole Buehrle provides opening remarks during the program's installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semissourian.com
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG members make their pledges to the program during an installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG members make their pledges to the program during an installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semissourian.com
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG specialist Nichole Buehrle, far right,  swears in the new officers during the program's installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices. Officers pictured, from left: Jaiden Moore, Kaylei Carter-Long, Jael Jones, Taylor Banks, Chalyce Horrell, Jalayah Francis, D'Angelo Wiggins, Dylan Davidson and Elijah King. Not pictured: Sofia Smith.
Cape Girardeau Central Academy's JAG specialist Nichole Buehrle, far right, swears in the new officers during the program's installment ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices. Officers pictured, from left: Jaiden Moore, Kaylei Carter-Long, Jael Jones, Taylor Banks, Chalyce Horrell, Jalayah Francis, D'Angelo Wiggins, Dylan Davidson and Elijah King. Not pictured: Sofia Smith.J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semissourian.com

Cape Girardeau Central Academy hosted an installment ceremony for its Jobs for America's Graduates Career Association (JAG) program Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Cape Girardeau Public Schools' Central Administrative Offices.

According to the program's website, JAG's purpose is to help its members explore career pathways, assess opportunities and appropriateness of seeking post-secondary education, connect with representatives of each student's chosen path, develop knowledge and skills, secure employment and demonstrate the ability to advance with employers. Central Academy began its JAG program in 2020.

"It's a program used to help students overcome barriers, any obstacles that they face and try to get them in contact with employers, schools, anything post-secondary, to help them attain their goals," first-year JAG specialist Nichole Buehrle said. "We have guest speakers and we go to visit places. We've already been to Rankin Technical School this year and we had some sorority girls that came in and gave tips for going to college. It's just anything we can do to try to give them an edge in going into the world after (high school)."

During the ceremony, 45 students were welcomed into the program, along with the new officers for the 2024-25 school year.

Junior D'Angelo Wiggins and senior Chalyce Horrell were selected as JAG's co-presidents and civic awareness chairs. Other officers sworn in Wednesday were junior Jael Jones and senior Kayeli Carter-Long as the program's public relations officers; senior Jalayah Francis and junior Elijah King as service learning officers; senior Taylor Banks as secretary; junior Sofia Smith as treasurer; and seniors Dyland Davidson and Jaiden Moore as employability skills officers.

"At first, I really had no intention of being president when I came up," Wiggins said. "But I saw my cousin, she's older than me, and I saw what she was doing. ... It meant something to me."

Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!

Horrell, who has goals of attending Southeast Missouri State University as a pre-med major upon graduation, said the program has helped teach her to "have faith" in herself and "give it your all."

"Mrs. (Ursulla) Wadley and Mrs. Buehrle, they've taught us a lot when it comes to opportunities, jobs and what would be best for you once you graduate," Horrell said. "It teaches a lot, (how to make) better decisions, better choices and all things positive."

Buehrle said her experience with the program in her first year has been "absolutely wonderful."

"This whole curriculum is based on helping people do those things that we are always wanting to help them do," Buehrle said. "It's (developing) the social skills, the soft skills, it's building a resume, the applications. It provides the things that we don't always get to work on in a classroom, that we know they need help with."

The most fulfilling part of being Central Academy's JAG specialist, according to Buehrle, is getting students to believe in themselves.

"It's not the fact that they can't do it, it's the fact that they don't realize they can do it," Buehrle said. "It's when they come back and say (the program has helped them) that I realized we're doing something right, because I know they can."

Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:

For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.

Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!