Heber Center Outreach
September 18, 2006
Attendance: Six members of community, Mary Lou Costales, Mar Vest, Jeanne Swarthout, Donna Kreiser.
Four members of the community completed the survey form. All four indicated that they were aware of distance learning at NPC. One indicated that the person was unaware of NPC's website.
Programs suggested in survey: trades, art, exercise, special interest, business, English, math, money management
All indicated evenings for classes; one indicated weekends would work.
In the working session:
- When asked what new businesses were in the area, restaurants were first noted. Stores, construction operations and realtor offices were noted next.
- Programs of interest included: statistics and database management, computer skills, medical coding (comply with AAPC certification), construction trades, agriculture, gardening (more), stained glass, pottery, money management.
Several additional recommendations surfaced:
- More online classes.
- More community involvement from SBDC.
- Get recruiters/career folks out to the high school more.
- Be certain TLC computers are updated.
- Partner with Navit to bring software updates to high school computer lab.
- Provide more information to high school students but more so parents on cost effectiveness of NPC.
- Provide more information to high school students on the programs available at NPC.
- Consider summer kids' college to begin introducing younger students to NPC while keeping them out of parental hair some during summer.
- NPC booth participation at local festivals.
Considerable discussion on how to keep high school seniors from fleeing the community as soon as they graduate; concern expressed about how to make Heber a vibrant community (much concern about it dying).
Clearly, by the conclusion of the meeting, the communication issues between the Center Manager and the District Superintendent were clear to me. Center Manager must work with the superintendent.