Students find second chance at Cass

Bradley Breaux, 20, struggled to finish high school because his family moved so much between Louisiana and Arkansas.

He often took responsibility for four younger siblings while his mother was at work, giving him little time to search for jobs.

"I felt like I was in my adult life, thrown in with no equipment," he said.

His life is different now that he has moved to the Cass Job Corps campus in the middle of the Ozark National Forest in Franklin County.

"This was the first place in my entire life there was potential for something," Breaux said. "This was the first place that didn't let me down."

Students come to Cass Job Corps from across the country, though about 25 percent are from Northwest Arkansas, said Mike Elder, a recruitment specialist for the Cass and Ouachita Job Corps Civilian Conversation Centers. Elder, a 10-year employee of the center, sees the impact the program has on students and wants to improve the center's recognition.

"A lot of people drive by and don't know we're here," Elder said.

Center officials have invited educators to visit from the Arkansas Department of Education, school districts and regional education organizations. Elder also goes on recruiting trips to high schools.

Cass Job Corps has existed since 1964. The Cass and Ouachita centers are operated by Forest Service employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. A third Job Corps Center is located in Little Rock.

Job Corps trains more than 60,000 students from low-income families at 126 centers across the country, according to the program website. Students attend for free and finish their high school education, either with a diploma or high school equivalency, while learning a trade.

Most students spend eight months to a year at Cass, but they have up to two years to finish, Elder said. Students live in dormitories, and the center provides basic health and dental care, clothing, meals and a stipend of $25 to $35 every two weeks.

While some students come to the center having struggled with drugs, alcohol, gang involvement or truancy, others are simply drawn by what the program offers, students said. The center has a zero-tolerance policy for violence or drugs. A point system helps students manage their behavior.

Cass was affected by a nationwide, three-month suspension of enrollment that began Jan. 28, 2013, according to the Department of Labor. Officials enacted the freeze to halt an estimated $61.5 million in overspending in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2013. The administration also took steps to improve financial management within Job Corps, including steps to detect and communicate potential financial problems.

Improving the center is a priority for Dan Crow, the center director. The center has received low performance ratings on federal evaluations in the past, but Crow attributes the low ratings to working with at-risk students from low-income families.

Students can choose to leave, he said. If they leave prior to finishing their education or trade, they are counted as failures in the performance ratings, Crow said.

"If a student comes here and they're serious about succeeding, this is definitely a place that can do that," Crow said.

In a rating of 125 Job Corps centers nationally, Cass ranked 125th for students completing their high school education, 123rd for students finishing career training and 117th for students earning a trade credential, according to a 2013-14 Job Corps center report card. The center also ranked 117th in matching students with a career in the trade they studied and 63rd in placing graduates in full-time jobs.

"Our struggle is to get students to persist in the program," Crow said. "We're playing to a tough crowd. Most of our successes are based on their desire to succeed."

The Cass center has started a new career preparation program in which students don't leave campus during a 30-day orientation.

Cass now has 126 students ages 16 to 24 who choose among seven trade programs: brick masonry, carpentry, culinary arts, facilities maintenance, heavy equipment operations, painting and welding.

"We're a valuable resource for individuals who may not have anything else or for high school students who don't want to go to college," Elder said. "It's just a good opportunity to see the students come here and succeed."

Finishing an education

Breaux started Aug. 4 with 5½ of the credits he needed to graduate high school. He has since more than doubled the credits he needs to graduate and is halfway through the welding program. He keeps a piece of paper with him listing all of the skills he needs for certification. He's also received his driver's license. He wears a gold jacket designating him as a Cass leader, he said.

"I never thought of myself as a leader before," he said. "That gave me a boost of confidence."

Elisa DeManty, 20, was in a homeless shelter in Hot Springs before coming to the Cass center. She had gone to school in Lake Hamilton and learned about Job Corps through a counselor. She arrived in April and went through the culinary program.

She's now focused on finishing her high school education. She had just five credits when she started and now has 15 credits toward her diploma. She recently received an award for a video she created for a recent graduation ceremony. She's looking at colleges, she said.

"I remember calling my dad," she said. "I finally got that, 'I'm proud of you.'"

Dalton Arnold, 18, spent his ninth and 10th grade years at Omaha High School, but went to Fayetteville High School for 11th grade. He was a week away from starting his senior year when he learned about Cass Job Corps from a friend and boss in Omaha.

Arnold has a passion for welding, he said. He arrived in August. The first month was rough, and he still misses home, he said.

"Sometimes my parents think I'm crazy," Dalton said. When he misses home, he said, "I call them two times a day."

Arnold needs one credit to finish his high school education, is close to finishing the welding program, and plans to participate in the next graduation ceremony in March, he said.

The education program is designed for students to earn a high school diploma or a high school equivalency and to make sure they test at a ninth-grade level on a standardized Test of Adult Basic Education, said Wallie Shaw, a science instructor. Cass partners with Paris School District for students working on their high school diplomas, and two alternative education teachers from the school district teach at Cass.

About 25 percent of students do not take education classes because they have already completed their high school education and test at a ninth-grade level, Shaw said.

'Golden ticket'

Jeremiah Johnson, 22, had joined the Navy, but received a general discharge on honorable conditions within a few months, he said. He graduated from Bentonville High School in 2011.

He was in north Chicago when his military service ended. His petty officer suggested he consider Job Corps. The Cass center was the first center he considered, and the setting surrounded by mountains made him want to stay, he said.

"It's the golden ticket," he said. "I'm going to give you education, trade training and pay for it."

He chose welding for his trade and finished his program at the end of January. He hopes to go to advanced training in St. Louis to learn to operate trains.

"My little 4-year-old self started screaming," he said. "I always liked trains."

Ben Baily, 17, is from Fayetteville, but was living in Fort Smith prior to moving to Cass. He has lived on his own since he was 15 and earned a GED in Van Buren at 16. He was getting into trouble and applied to Job Corps to have more structure without having his freedom taken away.

"You need to do something better," he said.

Darryl Danie, 17, of Springdale said Job Corps helps students realize they are not alone in their struggles. If they finish the education and trade programs, they leave with $1,000, he said.

The program has helped Danie with everyday life, with developing leadership skills, learning to dress appropriately and about time management.

"You get free food, free living ... you're paid while you live here," Danie said. "You have people here who will help you out."

NW News on 02/08/2016