It Takes a Village

We have probably all heard the proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child."

As our education system has evolved, that saying has become even more meaningful. We have learned that schools cannot prepare students for their futures alone.

We need our community.

We need our local businesses.

We need professionals willing to share their experiences and expertise.

And we need employers willing to open their doors so students can see, experience, and imagine what their futures could look like.

If we want to prepare the workforce of tomorrow, we must collectively invest in that workforce today.

Whether you are already one of our valued business partners or are wondering how your organization can become involved with Westerville City Schools, the possibilities are nearly limitless.

Here are just a few ways to get started.

Share Your Story

Be a guest speaker in one of our schools.

Our elementary students LOVE hearing professionals talk about what they do, and they certainly aren't shy about asking questions!

At the middle school level, professionals can participate in our signature Career Cafés. These monthly lunch-and-learn experiences take place at all five of our middle schools and give students an informal opportunity to interact with professionals, ask questions, and discover careers they may have never considered before.

At our high schools, industry professionals can help bring classroom learning to life. You might speak to a class, provide feedback on a project, or even collaborate with an educator to co-teach an experience.

This is especially valuable within our three career pathways: Health, Engineering, and Business.

You bring the professional expertise. Our educators bring the instructional expertise. Together, we create something incredibly meaningful for students.

Open Your Doors

Sometimes the best way for a student to understand a career is simply to see it in action.

Our high school students take full advantage of opportunities to job shadow professionals throughout our community. These experiences can range from half a day to a full day, or even span multiple days. Job shadows allow students to move beyond reading about a career and actually experience the environment, people, expectations, and possibilities firsthand.

Businesses can take that commitment even further by hosting a student as an intern or pre-apprentice.

These experiences provide students with in-depth career training while allowing businesses to begin developing talented young people who may one day become employees.

Westerville City Schools currently partners with organizations to provide pre-apprenticeship experiences in areas including Linework, HVAC, Automotive Maintenance, and Urban Forestry. We would love to add more.

Imagine what could happen if even more Westerville-area businesses opened their doors to our students.

Be An Expert

You already possess something incredibly valuable to our students: experience.

Throughout the year, our high schools host a variety of career fairs where professionals can help students explore industries, understand career opportunities, and learn more about the companies and organizations operating right here in their community.

You can also participate in mock interviews organized by our school counseling teams. These experiences give students a safe environment to practice telling their story, answering difficult questions, communicating professionally, and building the confidence they will need when the interview becomes real.

Sometimes an hour of your time can provide a lesson a student remembers for years.

Invest in Our Students and Our Educators

Partnership doesn't always require creating a new program.

Sometimes it starts with something simple.

Businesses can support students by donating supplies, from pens, pencils, and backpacks to new or gently used clothing and food for our school-based pantries.

You can also invest in the educators who serve our students every day.

Help us celebrate teachers through appreciation initiatives. Provide materials for innovative classroom projects. Or open your workplace to an educator through our Teacher Externship Program, giving teachers an opportunity to experience today's workplace firsthand and bring those lessons back to their students.

When we invest in educators, that investment reaches thousands of students.

The Future Workforce Is Already Here

These are only a few of the ways businesses and community organizations can partner with Westerville City Schools and we are always open to new ideas.

Maybe your organization has an opportunity we haven't considered yet. Maybe you have expertise our students need. Maybe you can provide an experience that introduces one student to a career they never knew existed. We want to have that conversation. Because ultimately, our schools and our business community share a common goal: To create a community filled with good people doing good work.

The students sitting in our classrooms today will become the nurses caring for our families, the engineers designing our infrastructure, the electricians powering our homes, the entrepreneurs opening businesses, the technicians keeping our systems running, the public servants leading our communities, and the professionals filling jobs that may not even exist yet.

They are not simply our students.

They are our future workforce.

And preparing them is work that belongs to all of us.

If you are energized and ready to partner, or simply want to learn more, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at misenerm@westerville.k12.oh.us or 614-797-5788.

To our current workforce partners: thank you. Your investment in our students matters.

And to our future workforce partners: I look forward to introducing you to your future workforce.

Here's to a great 2026–2027 school year!