Fair Plain Middle School students learning new technology skills
BENTON HARBOR, Ind. -- Some Benton Harbor students are getting a chance to learn tech skills that may help them in the future.
It's all part of the "Young and Rising Leaders'' program, which partners the school and the local Boys and Girls Club.
A new program, designed to help local students learn more about the growing technological world.
These Fair Plain Middle School students have been hard at work in the Teen Tech Center at the Boys and Girls club.
From 3D designs, podcasting equipment, and creating their own logo, this program provides them an opportunity to scratch their creative itch, all while learning different tech skills.
"That's the goal, we want to launch them into pathways. If they're into music, production, videography, design, whatever it is that they want to do, that's our job to make it happen for them and this is an avenue for that. Our goal is by the time they get to high school, they know what they want to do and what it takes to get there," said Trevin Alexander, principal of Fair Plain Middle School.
The program, which began at the start of the semester in January, takes place every Friday.
The class is taught by Diandre Hureskin, whose experience with technology comes from his self-owned media company.
"I'm an 80s baby, I grew up on times of Toys 'r' Us, so every day I come into work, it's like a Toys 'r' Us for me as an adult because there's everything that I can think of from a technology standpoint that I can just tinker and play around with so I love it," said Hureskin.
And the reviews for the program?
"It's been good, it teaches US a lot of things about our future, and some things we can do now," said seventh grader Aishah Muhammed.
"I learned how to work the camera and take pictures," said Jashay Jones-Marshall, 8th grader.
"I like how I'm planning my future, as an eighth grader now, and starting my future early, so I can know what I want I want to be when I grow up," said Denver Walker, eighth grader.
At the beginning of this program, Hureskin wasn't sure what to expect, since it was brand new.
But he's been thrilled with how things have gone so far.
"It's a blessing because this is a blueprint, and you don't know what that blueprint looks like, and so for us to be able to lay the blueprint, build upon that blueprint and have something solid to stand up on, that just lets me know that the work we're doing is not going unnoticed and that it's well needed for our community, so I'm happy about that," said Hureskin.
The district is planning to expand the program to 3 days a week next school year so more students can get involved.