The Student Transitional Educational Program (STEP) created by Technical Cooperative Education Coordinator Robert Horvath, has one year under its belt, and Mr. Horvath couldn’t be happier.

“I thought it went very well,” Mr. Horvath said. “I am very impressed with the students.”

Mr. Horvath said that he’s proud of the students because they were willing to take a chance on the new program.

“All of these students are risk-takers and most teens are afraid to take risks,” Mr. Horvath said.

Twelve seniors are enrolled in this year’s STEP program. Every other week, the students alternate between school and work. One week they take year-long English, government and technical cooperative education (TCE) classes. The next week, they hold down a nine a.m. to five p.m. job in a field they intend to pursue.

“Who wouldn’t want to go to school every other week?” Mr. Horvath said.

Mr. Horvath said Principal Chuck Wagner and Superintendent Gary Matthews have approved the program for next year because of its success.

“The vision that I had stayed true to form,” Mr. Horvath said. “Some of the students were offered summer jobs and full-time work.”

Senior Dominique Whitaker is enrolled in the Step program and employed at the popular Fat Canary restaurant in Colonial Williamsburg where she prepares and cooks food.

“In the beginning, I was skeptical. I didn’t think it would work,” Whitaker said. “But now I see [STEP] as something that everyone should be a part of.”

Senior Catie Stevens agrees.

“I would recommend it to everyone,” Stevens said. “The teachers are open and it is really relaxed.”

Because the students spend a whole year together in class, instead of just one semester, they become very close.

“Since we see each other all the time and we spend the whole year together, I feel like we’re a family,” Stevens said. “When someone has a problem, they can talk about it openly and everyone will put their two cents in.”

Mr. Horvath said he was able to see the students mature and become men and women, something other teachers are not able to experience in other classes.

“I really enjoy the interaction with them,” Mr. Horvath said. “I love them.”

Because this was the first year of the program, Mr. Horvath said a few things need to be revised for next year. For example, communication between the school and the students is an issue since STEP program students do not have a first block and are not in school every week.

“We were not informed about anything. I wish they had a better way to inform us since we aren’t there,” Stevens said. “Next year the students need to push Mr. Horvath to get a [message] board for this room, so we know what is going on the weeks that we aren’t at school.”

Mr. Horvath said that there are more students interested in participating next year than this year. He already has about 98 students who have expressed an interest in the program.

“Students think the program is only for students who don’t go to college,” Mr. Horvath said. “But we have students who are getting an advanced diploma. It is not vocational. It is a career-pathing program.”

Whitaker said she is impressed with the program and she wouldn’t have done her senior year differently.

“It is a good opportunity to see how the real world is,” Whitaker said. “It is an opportunity to see whether the career you pick is really what you want to do.”