LOUISVILLE, Ky. — You learn a lot in high school, but how to be an adult isn't always on the lecture list. That is unless you go to Fern Creek High School. This week, the seniors are going through a crash course on all things adulting.
College Access Resource teacher, Sara Wilson-Abell, came up with the idea. She said her goal is to get students a step ahead before they step into the real world.
"I have conversations with these students all of the time and I'm kind of like, 'Oh man, we should probably address some of these things,'” Wilson-Abell said. "When these kids walk out of our doors in June and graduate, I want to make sure they're equipped with the knowledge of some everyday life skills. They are done with their finals, so they're already here. I figured what better way to spend their time than to make sure they're learning some valuable skills, and they're getting more equipped for the future."
From financial literacy to food preparation, the team at Fern Creek has really thought of it all. Monday’s topics tackled money, money, money. That truly was the title, and speakers covered retirement, basic banking and loans, budgeting, leases and insurance. Students went through those six different thirty-minute sessions and got to ask questions in each. To make it more relatable, the school is setting up games in the styles of Life, Price is Right and Family Feud.
"It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about retirement even though I'm just now turning 18. It's important because I want to start saving now so that way hopefully I can retire a little bit earlier,” senior Adam Kenworth said. "It was basically a bunch of terms explained that I'd heard my whole life and I never really knew what they were so it was a lot of fun to actually figure out what those terms meant. It's going to sound weird, but I never really knew the difference between a pension and a 401K. I learned that today so now I'm really excited and hoping to find a job with a pension and not a 401K."
Tuesday’s theme is home and health. Fern Creek alumni and Master Chef Gerron Hurt will judge a "Dorm Room Food Challenge.” Teachers and students will pair up to make a dish from a pantry of dorm room style food. They'll also get five easy recipes to take home, have a session on mental health and learn how to change a tire and oil with teachers from JCTC.
Wednesday will tackle how to be a professional. UPS will come in for resume help and interview training.
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