Vocational Service
Vocational Service, one of Rotary’s Avenues of Service, encourages Rotarians to serve others through their professions and to practice high ethical standards. Rotarians, as business leaders, share skills and expertise through their vocations and inspire others in the process. Observed each October, Vocational Service Month spotlights Rotary Club projects related to this Avenue, offering an opportunity for clubs and districts to use their professional skills in service projects.
Vocational Service opportunities include: Mentoring, Career Days, Vocational Awards, Bridging the Gap, Classification talks, Reciting the 4-way test at club meetings and there are many more. Please contact any committee chair or member for assistance with a project.
Princeton Rotary's Bridging The Gap
Princeton Rotary Club
"Bridges the Gap"
Rotary International has a principal focus on education in over 205 countries around the globe. The Rotary Club of Princeton has contributed to this initiative in various ways. Most evident in our local community for the past 5 years has been the "Bridging the Gap" program at Princeton High School.
The program was designed by three Rotarians who for over 20 years acted as volunteer "Board Members" of various model corporations at NYU's Stern Graduate School of Business. As represented by the title, the program intends to "Bridge the Gap" between school and career and adds relevance to conventional teaching through a simulated business model.
"The Grateful Deli" company is being run by PHS students
Brian Sustak, Matt Flotteron, Kelsey Holstein and Sophia Qasir
This past semester, the program was instituted in 2 classes at PHS; one in the Entrepreneurial course taught by Craig Haywood and the other in the Personal Finance Course taught by Lisa Bergman. The class taught by Mr. Haywood challenges the students to develop a plan for opening a delicatessen, and focuses on the practical finances of applying for a business loan from a "real" banker. The banker for this program was Steven Forleiter, Commercial Lender at Commerce Bank in Mercerville.
"Garden Place Type State Deli" is being proposed by PHS students
Emma Franklin, Emma Kruse, Melaney Kanda and Miriam Gabriel
In Ms. Bergman's Personal Finance class, students worked on the financial challenges of buying a first home including: budget planning for the future "financial health" of the family, raising the down payment and then applying to a banker for a home mortgage. The banker in this scenario was Rotarian, David MacKinnon of Smith Barney in Lawrenceville.
PHS students Zack Kleinbart, Allen Bryant & Matt Young present
their proposal for Munchies Juicy Burgers to the banker. Other team
Eric Frantz was absent during this presentation.
The courses are 6 weeks and 3 weeks respectively with Rotarians participating one day a week in both classes. This fall, 10 Rotarians served as consultants in the classes.
A class will generally be divided into groups of 4 to 5 students to a team, each team saddled with the same task. Rotarians serve as consultants to each team which competes with the others to get the best possible outcome, loan terms, loan rate, budget planning, etc. In the program, the teams are presented with budget considerations that occur in real life situations.
Entrepreneurs Kim Wright, Sammie Hayden, Corey Marsh and
Trisha Wilson present their plans for Le Petit Grand Café
at PHS
Students often say of the program, "It helps me understand how my course work helps prepare me for the future." "I learned the importance of team work." and "I might better select my course of study for the future based on my likes and dislikes." The teachers typically report that the program helps the students better relate to their regular courses of study. The Administrators accept the Rotary program as a part of the teaching curriculum.
A company named "Munchies" is being proposed by PHS students
Casey Henderson, Michelle Hofman, Bridget Slade & Meredith Murphy.
Not pictured is Haley Randazzo who was absent that day.
"Bridging the Gap" has been offered in Princeton High School for over 5 years and involved over 20 Rotarians, 4 teachers and PHS Administrators. With rave revues from the students and faculty of PHS, this program will likely continue throughout the spring semester and many years to follow. "Bridging the Gap" is offered in some 20 different high schools in the central New Jersey district of Rotary.