Life after high school

Alexander Cain
The Union-Recorder

August 21, 2008 10:26 pm

— Baldwin High School junior Sidney Yaun stared at the piece of paper in her hand in disbelief as she read over its contents a second time.
“I’m in the hole,” Yaun said with a disappointed and disapproving voice. “I got a speeding ticket for $150.”
Yaun can relax — at least for now. Her speeding ticket won’t mean a trip to the Milledgeville Police Department this time. Rather, she’ll just continue to attend classes as if it were a normal day around BHS.
Yaun was one of nearly 300 Baldwin High School juniors who participated in the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Reality Check,” a program designed to show students the importance of staying in school, pursuing a post-high school education, and how having that education can mean the difference between owning a nice home and renting an apartment or even being forced to borrow money from the bank to help pay off a new car.
Each student received a randomly assigned job that came with a monthly salary, deducted taxes, a net income and, if “married,” a possible spouse’s income that combined with all other figures to provide a total income that would be used for areas such as clothing, food, transportation, insurance, baby sitters, dining out, checking and savings accounts and other “real world” related items.
In Yaun’s case, she was enlisted in the U.S. Army, made $1,725 a month and was married with no spouse income and no children.
“I went back to school and got a bus pass to get there. Going back to school did give me extra money, but the problem is I ended up needing a second job, and with everything else I didn’t have time for it. Now I’m $21.50 in the hole,” Yaun said.
It’s experiences such as those on paper that are at the heart of Reality Check, according to Tara Peters, Chamber president.
“You only have two years left. These figures are real. These bills are real. The only way out of this is education. You have got to take advantage of what is out there, and use the scholarships and financial opportunities to help you get to college or vocational school,” Peters said as she addressed a group of more than 30 BHS juniors after the students had gone through the gauntlet of paper preparations.
BHS junior Maranda Tharpe already has an idea of what the real world can be like — she works at Piggly Wiggly Southside, collecting a paycheck that, if taken care of properly, could provide her with money for college or even expenses such as utility bills and rent money.
Despite her experiences with Reality Check and the fact that she is one of a small percentage of BHS juniors already in the working world, Tharpe decided she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the wake-up call provided by the Chamber and community volunteers.
“I really don’t like it. I know it’s not real for us, but I also know there are people out there in life who still struggle like this,” Tharpe said. “With this, I had to get two jobs, my GED, I attended community college, find a baby sitter through daycare and purchase clothing. The clothing and bills are really expensive. I’ve still got $204.10 left, but now I need to go get a credit card.”
But even if the reality of what lies beyond graduation isn’t the most thrilling idea in the world, through programs such as Reality Check, the students are better prepared to leave the world they’ve known for the past four years, according to Lyn Chandler, BHS principal.
“The kids seemed to enjoy it. I think a lot of them were able to see a different perspective than usual on what it will take to earn a living and survive in our society. Some of the ones I spoke with were struggling and having difficulty getting the basic necessities. I think that this is a great experience, and we certainly appreciate the Chamber coming out for the students. This puts the students in a world that they understand and can help them make an impact once they graduate,” Chandler said.
BHS junior Nikita Thomas was worried less about making an impact and more about how she was going to get around purchasing the full price for insurance for her fictional BMW.
“My husband doesn’t have to drive the car. I just need to buy insurance for myself. I’ll drop him off for work,” Thomas said.
Comments such as those may make Milledgeville resident Sam Watson, who has been working the Reality Check since its inception four years ago, smile — but it also makes him realize that many of these students still need to recognize the seriousness of how much will be needed once high school is behind them.
“I think the students have been great. I haven’t seen any disrespect from them all day, and I think they benefit from this program. I think they’ve really learned a lot, and that they get better and seem to improve each year,” Watson said.
That’s good news for BHS Assistant Principal Teresa McCuen, who spent most of her morning and afternoon assisting students in their fictional financial futures.
“With some of them, this makes them realize what they’ll do after graduation and for college,” McCuen said. “The students seem to be getting something out of it, and I think it’s been a powerful experience and a real eye-opener for them to see the relationship between earning potentials and education.”
Hopefully, that’s the lesson learned by Adrian Puebla, who found himself a car salesman making $2,554 a month as a single parent with two young sons.
“I might have to give up the car I just bought. I’d rather not do that,” Puebla said as he tried to figure out a way to keep the Honda Accord he had just purchased yet still be able to afford rent on his two-bedroom apartment.

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