Lyman High School JAG program brings home prestigious 6-of-6 National Network Award

Jul. 25—PRESHO, S.D. — The Jobs for America's Graduates program is still new at the Lyman School District in Presho, but it's already making waves at the local, state and national levels.

That was evident earlier this month when the district chapter of the program was named one of three in South Dakota to receive the prestigious 6-of-6 National Network Award during the JAG National Training Seminar in Louisville, Kentucky.

In addition to that, Lyman High School JAG Specialist Chad Johnson was named an Outstanding JAG Specialist, one of 96 nationwide selected for the honor. And as if that weren't enough, Lyman juniors-to-be Melina Shields and Sophia Langenbau were selected as the first state president and a school representative, respectively, for the state organization.

That's not bad for a program going into just its third year at the school.

"I'd be hard-pressed to argue that it hasn't been a huge success," said Chris Long, superintendent for the Lyman School District. "I really feel like the program has developed and grown. The participation is there, the numbers are high. I'd argue that it's one of our most popular programs we have in the building."

Jobs for America's Graduates is a program supervised by the South Dakota Department of Education that helps students persist through graduation. It is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young people of great promise. The specific mission of JAG South Dakota program is to empower South Dakota's young people with the skills and support to succeed in education, employment, and life.

Through the program, at-risk students are empowered to take the lead on planning projects centered on civic responsibility, leadership, social interaction, academic performance and professionalism. JAG students collectively decide how projects, class assignments and community engagement activities are carried out by electing a governing body, assigning leadership roles, then holding each other accountable, according to the program profile on the South Dakota Department of Education website.

The 6-of-6 award acknowledges the highest-achieving states, regions and programs that exceed national performance metrics for graduation, employment rate, full-time employment, total full-time positive outcomes, connectivity rate and continued education rate.

Johnson said the award is a testament to the hard work of the students.

"It's definitely an attribution to the kids' hard work. That's what it comes down to — the kids," Johnson said.

The Lyman program is already seeing its earliest participants graduating and entering college or the workforce. Johnson has spent his time with the program exposing his students to skills that will benefit them in the next stage of their lives. Students get involved with the community, making presentations to organizations such as the chamber of commerce, volunteering for Christmas events or teaching internet safety lessons to elementary students.

"We do have a presence in a lot of places in the community and we've striven for that," Johnson said. "One of the things we're awfully proud of is that our seniors took about $80,000 in scholarships this year."

Johnson's dedication to the program is reflected in the 6-of-6 Award and his Outstanding JAG Specialist Award, Long said.

"It's just the start of the third year, but it speaks to the fact that when you can relate to kids, you can be successful, whether it be teaching or coaching. Those are the intangibles he brings," Long said. "He respects the students, the students respect him. And he has no shortage of projects and irons in the fire."

Johnson is quick to defer credit for the program's success to his students, like Shields and Langenbau, both juniors-to-be at Lyman.

Both credit the program with helping them come out of their shell and developing skills that will serve them into adulthood. Their own dedication is reflected in the fact that Shields was recently named the first student president of the South Dakota JAG while Langenbau was named a school representative.

The inaugural JAG-SD state officers will help forge a path for further development of the state organization, and will lend a student voice to policy development, help plan and run statewide students events and serve as ambassadors for JAG-SD at state and national events.

The program itself has changed their outlook, and they've embraced their new outgoingness.

"It's helped me in a lot of ways," Shields said. "I used to be pretty shy before and wasn't very outspoken. It's really helped me come out of my shell and my comfort zone to be in crowds and speak in front of people with confidence. It's also helped me learn a lot of things. I really have never felt more prepared for the future than I have been when I was in JAG."

Langenbau agreed. Like Shields, she was a bit of an introvert in public and initially had no real interest in joining the JAG program.

"I didn't want to do it because it was way out of my comfort zone. I was very shy, probably more shy than Melina was. It was hard for me to get a few words out in middle school," Langenbau said. "But I went for it and I was actually very lucky to achieve my goal. I was surprised and I enjoyed it a lot."

There are 46 students in the Lyman program, and Johnson said there is something for everyone to learn through it. Studying those skills and putting themselves in what at first may seem like uncomfortable situations can hone characteristics that will help them in the real world. Shields and Langenbau are examples of that.

"We're seeing some kids come in and step into leadership roles. It's one of those deals where you can take it as far as you want. Some will be into it really hard and some will just be a part of it," Johnson said. "And the state officers take it to the next level. You get what you put into it."

Beth Schneider, state director for JAG-SD, said students like Shields and Langenbau and their trailblazing work being among the first state officers for South Dakota show the benefits of the program.

"I'm so proud of our students for pushing for this leadership opportunity," Schneider said in a statement. "This delegation will be the cornerstone of JAG-SD, helping to guide and direct our association while also representing South Dakota on the national stage."

Johnson is looking forward to the new school year and the opportunities that will come with it for the program and the students. There will be more service activities out among the community, as well as more lessons in interacting with employers, building confidence in speaking and those important college applications.

But he's most looking forward to the continued growth of his students, whether they ultimately choose to stay and share those skills in Lyman County or move on to far-flung parts of the world. Their progress is perhaps the most satisfying part of his work, and he's looking forward to continuing it.

"Watching the students grow, watching them transition into adulthood is pretty cool," Johnson said. "I'm excited to see what they do in the real world."

The other South Dakota recipients of the 6-of-6 National Network Award were Wagner High School and Andes Central High School. In addition to those three, JAG-SD has programs in Bennett County High School in Martin, Jefferson High School, Lincoln High School, Roosevelt and Washington high schools in Sioux Falls and Todd County High School in Mission.