Jasper Place High School Career and Life Management Program

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The aim of senior high school CALM (Career and Life Management) is to enable students to make well-informed, considered decisions and choices in all aspects of their lives and to develop behaviors and attitudes that contribute to the well-being and respect of self and others, now and in the future.  At Jasper Place the course is a five-credit course: 3 credits for CALM and the addition of 2 modules ( CTR 1010 Job Preparation and CTR 2010 Job Maintenance).

These, along with the extra activities of building individual portfolios, going on field trips to post-secondary institutions and job shadow placements, and attending the "cool jobs" guest speakers in the Career Centre, constitute the Career Directions addition to the basic CALM course.

1. Students can use their CALM mark in their grade 11 average for a Rutherford Scholarship ( worth $800 at Gr. 11)  It is not difficult to earn an excellent grade in CALM classes: some students earn 100% or close to it.  If you have an average of  75%  in 4 subjects, a 100% in CALM can raise the average to the required 80%.

2. CALM students go on a full day field trip to NAIT and The University of Alberta where they take a tour and hear presentations about how and when to apply, what programs are available and about campus life.

3. Students in CALM classes have the opportunity to go out to two different locations for job shadows.

4. One of the modules complete is CTR 1010 which is needed as a pre-requisite for work experience.

5. The 5 credit time allotment, allows time for many guest speakers who are experts in their area, and time for students to fully develop their career portfolios which are required to entrance into many programs at NAIT and some at the University.

CALM Guest Speakers:

• Burn Awareness

• Eating Disorders

• Schizophrenia Society

• Problem Gambling ( the fastest growing addiction in Alberta)

• Canadian Mental Health: Youth and Stress

• Suicide Prevention

• Tattoo and Piercing Safety

• Job Safety

• Work Trends; Employment Strategies

• Sexual Assault ( U. of A. speakers)

• Organ Donation

• Nurses:  Birth Control

• Fitness

• HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections

• 7th Step ( speaker has been in and out of jail many times; talks about groups who target teenagers)

• Paramedic: "What's Killing Us"

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

• Canada World Youth ( international travel and volunteering)     

General Outcome I:  Personal Choices

Students will apply an understanding of the emotional/psychological, intellectual, social, spiritual and physical dimensions of health--and the dynamic interplay of these factors--in managing personal well-being.
Topics include: 

• self exploration

• values

• personality types

• learning styles

• gender differences

• health

• addictions

• building relationships

• dating

• sexuality

• family/marriage

• abuse

• loss/grief

General Outcome II:  Resource Choices/Finances

Students will make responsible decisions in the use of finances and other resources that reflect personal values and goals, and demonstrate commitments to self and others.
Topics include:

• family budget

• independent living

• consumer complaints

• landlord/tenant

• banking/credit

• saving/investing

General Outcome III: Career and Life Choices

Students will develop and apply processes for managing personal, lifelong career development.
Topics include:

• COPS Interest Inventory

• Career Cruising Interest Inventory

• Get Real Game

• Mock Job Interviews

• Job Shadowing

• Post-Secondary Field Trip

• Portfolio Building Activities

Assessment Information

Term Marks are cumulative and based on assignments, quizzes, and projects.  General Outcome I is worth 40%, Outcome II is worth 20%, Outcome III is worth 20%, and the final Portfolio Presentation is worth 20%.

Students have many guest speakers who visit their classroom to discuss a wide variety of topics such as: future planning, schizophrenia, healthy eating, narcotics, gambling addiction, sexual assault, burn awareness, suicide prevention, organ donation, road safety, sexually transmitted infections, tattoo and piercing safety, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

It is highly recommended that students also attend as many "Cool Jobs" lunch hour presentations in the Jasper Place Career Centre as possible to gain firsthand information about the world or work.

What Jasper Place CALM students are saying about the program

• CALM was a nice experience as it deals with a lot of common sense life issues that people need to know.  It is a refresher from the other classes you have to take.  I mostly enjoyed the post-secondary visit, as the University was most enticing.  It really opened my eyes to the opportunities that could possibly lay ahead of me.  I learned of the career opportunities that were available to me.  Also the career studies gave me a new direction as to where I should go in life. CALM was a great experience. -JG

• I think that our CALM class was a productive class.  I really enjoyed exploring all the new career possibilities out there.  The independent living project was pretty awesome because it showed us how hard the real world is.  The filed trips and the speakers were a nice way to help us get to know the future and other people's lives. -SS

• I found that the field trip, career shadow, and presentations were the most educational parts of the course.  They were really enjoyable and had a lot of valuable information.  I also found the time we spent working on our resumes, cover letter, and portfolios was very worthwhile. -JF

• I enjoyed the tattoo presentation, the 7 Step presentation, job shadowing a vet/AHT, the moving out project, the scrapbook, and some of the videos. -KS

• I thought the job shadow was a very useful experience and I think it would be a good idea to have maybe two days instead of one.  I also enjoyed most of the speakers who cam in and the variety of careers that they represented.  I also thought that the job preparation unit was quite helpful and gave me more of an idea for my career goals.  I also like the atmosphere of the class and the teacher. -MH

• I like the class because we discussed our ideas and the lessons not like Q and A but as a group sharing our opinions and stories.  I learned a lot of thins about what you need to know and consider when you move out and about diseases and things that can go wrong and how to deal with it.  Class in general was fun and I enjoyed the experience of taking this class.  CALM is an excellent class for students to take in order to learn some of the day to day living skills and how to deal with conflicts that can occur. -CR

• I liked this class because it wasn't too difficult to follow and the assignments were pretty straightforward.  It also gave me a sense of the real world and helped my average in school.  I learned how to be independent in the outside world as well as opening career doors.  I was introduced to some careers that I never even knew existed.  Since I am planning to attend the U. of A., the field trip was an enjoyable experience.  The group projects were interesting and fun. -CL

• It is the best class.  It got me goal-oriented.  I learned more about STDs and drugs and how dangerous they are.  The guest speakers were a good idea: we can learn from their mistakes or their knowledge. The field trip was great, to actually see the locations and the programs.  And the teacher was the best! -KE

• I really enjoyed being taught by _____.  He made the class fun.  I really enjoyed the guest speaker on tattoo and piercing safety.  It was interesting to find out all about safety and what can happen if those procedures are not followed.  I would suggest _________  as a great teacher to learn CALM with. -SK

• This year in CALM I feel that I have learned a great deal of useful information which I can use to help me become a better and more successful person who is not afraid to be herself and stand up for what is right.  The class was taught very well and was a joy to be a part of.  I learned about careers, drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, relationships and surprisingly more about myself.  These topics which we discussed gave me an insight to what the world is really like out there and helped me grow and mature as a student, daughter, and friend. 

• One of the speakers that had a big impact on me was the young mom who had been involved with drugs and prostitution since the age of eleven.  She suffered through many devastating times alone, and yet is now a strong woman who is able to help others stay on the right path and make something of their lives.

• The trip to NAIT and the U of A was very interesting and motivated me to keep up my marks so I can be one of those students next year. 
  The day to day lessons which were taught in class were made so that we did not have to sit there listening to lectures.  Instead we were active and involved.  It gave us a chance to interact on a more social and personal level with our peers in a positive manner. -SV

• Well, one of the reasons I liked my CALM class was because it was a nice break at the end of a full day full of core AP subjects.  But I also enjoyed the class because I found it fun and I was interested in the things we learned, mainly because I found them to be important.  Since all of the topics were important, there weren't many that really stood out for me, but I was touched by the speaker who saved her child from the fire and had suffered because of it.  I enjoyed the field trip and the job shadowing; I have fun and learned from both of them.  In call, I liked how it was generally open and we could talk out loud and have group discussions about all of the topics we covered. -AG

• I enjoy CALM because it gets me thinking about my future and what I want to do with my life.  I enjoy having time to be able to make goals for myself that I want to accomplish, that are both academic and personal.  CALM allows me to learn more about the world of working and to research occupations that interest me.  The class helps me to realize my strengths and weaknesses, and what I need to work on to accomplish my goals.

• What is important in CALM: 
  - the car $ thing: how much it would cost monthly
  - the resume and filling out applications
  - all the speakers
  - banking and saving your money (interest, retirement funds etc)