The Hays High JAG-K, or Jobs for America’s Graduates – Kansas, program won the Five for Five Award for the 2020-2021 school year.

This award is given when the students who participate in the program meet or exceed performance measures in five categories: graduation rate, successful outcomes, employment, post-secondary enrollment and job placement.

JAG-K focuses on preparing students for the future by going on field trips to get job experience, getting certifications such as CPR and other certifications, learning communication skills and learning to perform better in school and the workplace.

The two people in charge of JAG-K last year were Johnny Matlock, who retired at the end of the Fall 2020 semester and Trey O-Neil, who left Hays High at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Bryan Zollinger, the current head of the JAG-K program, said he hopes for another successful year for the students he has in his program.

“We have a really flexible classroom situation,” Zollinger said. “We have the ability to do about anything we want, in terms of setting up field trips and projects that can enhance their ability to go out and be effective in the job market. I think about the number of people that walk through the halls of a big school like this that do not get attention that they need. And, so, this is an opportunity for me to impact somebody that just needed someone to give them guidance. I hope to give some energy towards a certain goal, and maybe I could impact their future, hat is what I hope to do.”