The following is a guest blog written for the Empowerment Academy Districts’ blog by Calhoun Middle School student, Isabella Cronin, a student from Ms. Jarvis’s publishing pathway who functioned as an embedded reporter on Mr. Cosgrove’s manufacturing pathway field trip. The manufacturing pathway at CMS is a group of 6th-8th grade students who are researching, studying, and practicing working in the structures of the manufacturing industry. Kendall Snodgress, 6th grader and CEO of the pathway, worked with Mr. Cosgrove, CEO Brian Kitchen, and the director of Human Resources at Clearon to plan this field trip in order to more fully understand the world of manufacturing.
EAD Protocol 3: Teachers, students, and administrators make decisions collaboratively.
EAD Protocol 7: Local employers engage in the education of students to enhance students’ understanding of jobs and careers and the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful.
EAD Protocol 8: Teachers guide students in career exploration and planning to frame and expand upon experiences provided by local employers.
Isabella Cronin, Calhoun Middle School Student Reporter
On November 15, 2021, Mr. Cosgrove’s middle school manufacturing exploration pathway went on a field trip to Clearon, a bleach factory in South Charleston. We learned about how they make the bleach and the different types of bleach they make. We also got to learn about how the factory operates and jobs inside the factory.
When we first arrived at Clearon, we went to the sign-in building. We told the guy inside our names, and he gave us a card that got us in and out of the factory. He also gave us an emergency respirator in case something were to happen where we couldn’t breathe the air around us. The safety specialist, Jason, and the director of Human Resources, Melissa Wandling, led us into a room to watch a video on safety. Then, we went outside where we saw bags of bleach that weighted around 2,500 pounds! We also saw these big orange sock-looking things that they put up to catch the bleach in the air. After we took a tour of the factory, we went inside and were introduced to everyone and discussed their jobs.
We met Mr. Brian Kitchen, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. He told us that the employees really take their jobs to heart. Kendall Snodgress, 6th grade student, is the CEO of the manufacturing pathway. She had a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Kitchen to discuss the role of CEO. She stated, “As CEO of my pathway, I learned many things after talking to Clearon’s CEO. Safety means everything! They all have personal protective equipment (PPE) and care for one another. You also have to be respectful with everything you do. He told me, ‘Safety is #1. Everyone has their part, and that means employees are almost everything. They make everything, but I learned as the CEO, money is #1.’ That’s why Mr. Brian Kitchen cares so much. They all treated us like we were family.”
Addie Collins, a 6th grader who is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the manufacturing pathway, also got to meet privately with the COO of Clearon, Mr. Clarence Evenson. They discussed many things, including the need to have a peaceful or rewarding activity outside of work as an outlet. Mr. Evenson finds peace in caring for his alpacas. She said, “I learned that it’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to express your emotions and be open, and it’s okay to be who you are, just as long as you get the job done and have fun! I also learned that you have to be happy with your job. Mr. Clarence Evenson is a very caring person and is good at what he does. As he would say, ‘To be COO, you must be yourself, dress how you like, keep your same personality, and most of all, love alpacas!'”
We all got to meet many different types of people in different jobs at Clearon. In addition to the CEO and COO, we met Melissa Wandling, the director of Human Resources, and Ray Stewart, the Director of Manufacturing. Mr. Stewart takes raw ingredients and turns them into a finished product. We met Jason King, safety specialist, Hannah Farley, engineer, Kevin Walas, welder, and Hernandez Flores, improvement engineer. Mr. Flores told his how he previously worked on a project with NASA, then came to Charleston, WV to work for Clearon. John Pelto discussed with us how he went from helper to operator and has been working as an operator for 13 years. Some of the jobs offered at Clearon are: manufacturing, maintenance, sales, customer service, site logistics, accounting, engineers, strategic scorers, and many others.
Mr. Kitchen, CEO of Clearon, told us, “We’re not scared to have visitors come and see our procedures, because we know what we’re doing is right.”
Thank you, Clearon!
Students are continuing their research into manufacturing by forming a partnership with Belle Chemical Company and participating in a student video contest called “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” sponsored by the West Virginia Manufacturing Association.