Person	Ext	VM	HH	E-Mail
Laura Frayn	222	776	876	lfrayn@ridgenet.org
Debra Ridgner	222	793	893	dridgner@ridgenet.org
Kenneth Saam	222	758	858	ksaam@ridgenet.org
Julia Wicklund	222	765	865	jwicklund@ridgenet.org

Person	Ext	VM	HH	E-Mail
Laura Frayn	222	776	876	lfrayn@ridgenet.org
Debra Ridgner	222	793	893	dridgner@ridgenet.org
Kenneth Saam	222	758	858	ksaam@ridgenet.org
Julia Wicklund	222	765	865	jwicklund@ridgenet.org

Ridgewood business education teacher Debra Ridgner described what job shadowing is all about.

"We believe in the business department that it's really important that students -- especially high school juniors -- kind of get an idea of what the career that they're expecting to train for outside of high school is really like on a day-to-day, live-the-career type basis," she said.

"We're requiring them to get out into the community and locate someone who's already in the career that they envision for themselves and have a day to spend with them, watching what they do, being in their environment, absorbing what's going on in that field, having a chance to sit down and interview them about the job, their educational requirements, their experience, what does a job like this typically pay and how they feel about their position.

"They're also going to spend time in observation watching the use of different skills; writing skills, reading skills, interpersonal skills, technology skills."

Types of careers that students shadow include various branches of law, automotive technician, cosmetology, library science and veterinary science.

Students are released for one day to be in a work environment, Ridgner said. If a student is split between two different areas, she suggested spending half of the day in one location and the other half in another. Expenses are paid by the students themselves.

The next job shadow days are scheduled for a three-day period from Wednesday, April 15, 2009, through Friday, April 17, 2009. Ridgner acknowledged flexibility with scheduling a job shadow day due to circumstances such as illness or vacation.

Article written by Craig A. Whitney for the Thursday, April 9, 2009 issue of the Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News and online at http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/news/1515703,no-jobshadow-040909-s1.article. Used with permission.

"It was their first assignment," Kennedy said. "I asked them to construct their own children's books, based on business and marketing principles. Every page had to be illustrated, too -- with drawings or graphics."

The students worked in teams of three, at school and at home, over a period of weeks, to perfect their projects. Then they embarked on a mini book tour, taking their works to Union Ridge Elementary School, in Harwood Heights, where they read them aloud to small groups of first and second graders.

"it was a real turn of events to see Ridgewood students become teachers," Kennedy said. "They prompted the children to summarize and predict while they were reading their stories."

Freshman Carla Cajalne and her co-authors, Evaldas Dabkevicius and Sammy Snieg, based their book -- "The New Cool Bus Driver" -- on a fishnapping, a ransom demand, a bus driver named Mr. Becker and a television show named "My Bus is Cool."

When his fish, Jinxie, is kidnapped, Mr. Becker raises money to pay a $100 ransom demand by customizing his bus on the hit show "My Bus is Cool" and attracting more riders. But when he delivers the ransom, the fishnappers hand him a fish sandwich instead of Jinxie. His sadness is short lived though. The sandwich contains cheese, and his love for cheese outweighs his grief for Jinxie.

"The Ridgewood students fielded tough questions from the elementary students," Kennedy noted.

Other Introduction to Business teams and their books include:

"The Three Paprikas" by Blanca Barrios, Karla Esquivel and Lynette Modelski -- Recently fired from their jobs, Star, Rabbit and Red Robin open a restaurant, which becomes a huge success.

"Shuffles the Super Turtle" by Macej Antos, Amber Mescall and Sean Quinn -- Shuffles' shell, which makes him super speedy, is stolen while he is sleeping. He opens a lemonade stand to earn money for a new one, but his product doesn't sell well. Shuffles diversifies, adding appleade, strawberryade and grapeade. His new products are big hits, and he earns enough money to replace his shell.

"How Unbeakable Came About" by Cristina Scarsella, Amy Fogarty and Nenad Draca -- Nena, a basketball playing ostrich, is a sore loser and pops a basketball with his beak. His coach insists he replace the punctured ball. Nena and his friends, Cupcake and Boots, hold a bake sale and sell enough delicious cupcakes to buy a new ball.

"Bob and Sally's Big Idea" by Brittney Toussaint, Liezel Pallasa and Tina Aliasi -- Bob needs money for his basketball team; Sally needs money for her dance class. They try to sell ice cream, but it melts. Instead, they sell cupcakes, earning enough for the team and the class.

"Johnny's Skateboard Tragedy" by Michael Becker, Rufino Calderon and Adrian Kuszewski -- Johnny Lightning's mom backs over his skateboard, destroying it. To raise funds for a new one, Johnny and his sister, Bonnie, make and sell Blue Chocolate Chip Sensational Brownie Cake at a bake sale. Johnny makes enough money to pay Bonnie $50 and buy a new $150 skateboard, an even better skateboard than his old one.

"Heaven Park" by Sylwia Kalkus, Karolina Bojko and Maja Jovanovic -- Goodie Bears named Lulu, Kiki and Mimi are fed up with their old, run down playground. They canvass the neighborhood, asking residents for contributions to refurbish it. With their hard work and their promotion skills, they raise enough money to make their local playground one of the best in town.

Article written by Staff Writer Wynn Koebel Foster in the Thursday, January 3, 2008 issue of the Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News and online at http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/news/722789,no-booksread-010308-s1.article. Used with permission.

On Friday, October 12th, 2007, Ridgewood High School students who are enrolled in an Introduction to Business class traveled to Union Ridge School to read children’s books they created to 1st and 2nd grade students.

Carla Cajalne, Evaldas Dabkevicius, and Sammy Sneig show students the ransom note left for Jinxie the Fish.

The Ridgewood students worked in groups in-class and at home for two weeks creating seven different and very personalized children’s stories teaching leadership skills and marketing concepts. These business concepts were conveyed to the eager Union Ridge audience through captivating illustrations and characters such as Johnny Lightning, Lulu, Jinxie, Cupcake, Kiki, and Shuffles the Super Turtle, among others.

Sean Quinn and Amber Mescall explain how Shuffles the Super Turtle lost his shell.

The Ridgewood students visited four different classrooms and took turns reading their stories to small groups of 1st and 2nd graders. It was a real turn of events to see Ridgewood students become teachers as they prompted their young audiences to summarize and predict while they were reading their stories.

Tina Aliasi, Brittney Toussaint, and Liezel Pallasa explain to students how selling cupcakes can solve problems.

After (and during) their stories, the Ridgewood students fielded tough questions from a very inquisitive and engaged audience of elementary students. The hospitality of Mr. Maguire and the rest of the staff at Union Ridge was greatly appreciated and everyone involved benefited greatly from the experience.

Sean Quinn reunites with an old reading buddy from last year at Union Ridge.

Lynette Modelski, Blanca Barrios, and Karla Esquivel read the rags-to-riches story of "The Three Paprikas" to a captivated audience.

Karolina Bojko, Maya Jovanovic, and Sylvia Kalkus show the students how the Goodie Bears and a quintuple-scoop ice cream cone can save the day.

Cristina Scarsella, Amy Fogarty, and Nenad Draca entertain their crowd with a story of an ostrich with a bad temper.

It’s all smiles as Michael Becker and Adrian Kuszewski tell of Johnny Lightning’s quest to replace his broken skateboard.