Special education students at Nicolet apply to work at fair

Glendale - Mary Cate Neff dressed carefully for her interview, in a brown skirt, a subtle animal print top, flat shoes.

She handed interviewer Donna Bohn her résumé as she shook hands and introduced herself and then settled down for a 15-minute interview for a job checking in vendors for the Autumn Artisan's Fair at Nicolet High School.

Bohn, a business education teacher at Nicolet, asked interview questions that would likely be asked by any employer, providing another layer of practical experience for Mary Cate and two other students, Jake Currie and Matthew Stevens-Freuck, who also had interviews scheduled.

The three students were poised, thoughtful and articulate. Jake wants to either take tickets or greet visitors at the fair, while Matthew wants to help set up booths and assist vendors with unloading their merchandise for the booths.

It's likely that visitors to the fair will find all three students in their desired jobs on Saturday.

Real-life interview

Bohn tossed them the curve balls that often come up in interviews.

"What is your weakness?" she asked, and then she suggested that the students share how they plan to improve their weaknesses as part of the answer in an interview.

Practical, real-life, vocational experiences are what the Artisan's Fair is all about. Special education students in the Life Skills program help plan, organize and run the fair.

In its sixth year, the fair provides additional experience with the job interview element, a first for the event.

Teacher Bob Rinka said students applied online for the jobs that interested them and then had interviews with Bohn or other faculty.

With the scarcity of jobs in the marketplace, Rinka said his students need to know how to apply online and participate in an interview.

"This is a very important piece for them to have," Rinka said.

Rinka said the application and interview are also part of the students' grades in their English class.

Students make the fair

About 30 of the students participate in the fair, which is a fundraiser for the program.

Kate Rinehart, also a teacher in the program, said students in the wood shop class have made two Adirondack chairs and a table that will be part of the silent auction.

"That is where we make our money, the silent auction," she said. Money from the $3 admission charge also goes into the program, while the $40 fee vendors pay for each booth is used for advertising.

"We make around $3,000 that we use to make purchases for the apartment," Rinehart said. "It becomes our classroom checkbook."

The class uses a one-bedroom apartment on Hampton Avenue to learn life skills such as cooking and cleaning.

Rinehart said the fair will have 71 vendors this year, selling a wide variety of items from doll clothes to jewelry and craft items. There were 100 vendors last year.

"We thought that was too much," Rinehart said. "We did an evaluation with the vendors after the fair, and they felt it had gotten too large."

Rinka will work with students on setting up Friday after school and Saturday morning.

Students did other prep work in weeks before the fair, stuffing vendor packets and making quick breads that will be served as part of breakfast for vendors before the fair.

At a glance

WHAT: sixth annual Autumn Artisan's Fair

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Nicolet High School, 6701 N. Jean Nicolet Road

WHY: benefits Independent Life Skills program at Nicolet

ADMISSION: $3 (But teacher Kate Rinehart says the charge will be $2 if you mention this article.)