For Students

 

2023-2024 SALINA HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH STUDENT HANDBOOK:     ENGLISH     SPANISH

Potential Starts Here! Xello:
How do you help teens explore potential? Check out this Youtube series.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CareerCruising2

Kansas Degree Stats
This interactive online tool reviews cost and earnings data from real graduates for each undergraduate degree program offered at a public university or college in Kansas. With hundreds of degree programs available, there are many factors to consider when selecting the institution and the degree program that are the best match for you. Explore this site to learn more about the specific costs of each undergraduate degree program offered in Kansas, and the earnings those graduates are making today.
http://www.ksdegreestats.org/program_search.jsp

Kansas Career Navigator
The Kansas Career Navigator is an intuitive dashboard intended to aid in the selection of education and training programs, access workforce training providers, analyze performance information and labor market information. Additionally, by navigating this site, a user has real time access to high demand, high wage occupation opportunities by county or local area selection.
http://kscareernav.gov/

KS Labor Market Info Services

One-stop shop for Career and Labor Market Data including high demand occupations, current wages, and future job opening predictions.

Dani Lemon, SHS Class of 2000

Dani 1

Dani BBall

Dani 3

Dani 4

A familiar face at SHS is Salina Police Officer Dani Lemon, a Salina South High School graduate of the Class of 2000.

While in high school Officer Lemon took several classes that sparked her interest in criminal justice. While attending Cloud County Community College following high school, one of her professors brought her attention to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX where she completed their criminal justice program with a minor in psychology in 2005. While attending Sam Houston State, she was employed as a Corrections Officer at the Mens Max prison Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Texas.

Dani returned to position with the Salina Police department in May of 2006.

Lemon states, "While on SPD, I've worked every shift, including working as a School Resource Officer for four years, and also a serving as a member of the Honor Guard and Bike Patrol. I am the North Central Kansas Coordinator for the LETR events, (Special Olympics Polar Plunge and Torch Run); I've also re-started our "shop with a cop" program which is now Heroes and Helpers with Target!

ADELE STEIN--SHS CLASS OF 2005

Adele Stein

Those watching the 2018 Grammy Awards may have seen South High alum Adele Stein playing her cello for Tony Award winner Ben Platt for his role with the hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. It's pretty cool to see our home town gal on that stage!

How did you get here? After I graduated from Arizona State University, I moved to Phoenix, AZ, where I continued my career as a freelance musician. I received an email from my half brother, Rudy, asking if I could go to LA to do a sidelining gig with Sting. I immediately emailed back, saying yes, and that is where I ended up meeting the gig contractor who continued hiring me for more gigs in LA. I drove back and forth countless times with little sleep just to continue working for her. After a couple of years, she hired me for a national tour with the band RUSH. That is where I met several New York broadway musicians, became fast friends with all of them and they convinced me that if I moved to NYC, I would get work. So I did, and now I'm playing on a Broadway show.

How did HS activities lead to this opportunity? In high school, I was a member of the pit orchestra for the annual musical all four years. I played under several wonderful conductors over my high school career as well, Karen Chapman, Randy Fillmore and Eddie Creer, just to name a few. I was also fortunate to watch drama teacher Kate Lindsay in action. All of these experiences played a vital role in my education and present success.

Did your high school post-secondary plan change after entering that next step in your life? No, in fact, I was lucky enough to know I wanted to be a professional musician when I was in elementary school.

Advice to HS students when looking at their future and careers? Try to find something you love and work as hard as you possibly can to succeed at it. Be polite, respectful, prepared, consistent, professional and pleasant to work with. Don't be late, never stop networking. Always have integrity and don't ever be a pompous jerk, no one will want to work with you. Never forget that you can be replaced and don't take anything for granted.

PAUL DEES--SHS CLASS OF 2008

Paul Dees

NASA's The Quiet Crew

 

ALYSSA LANE

BCCC

Youth Concert SHS Orchestra

"Never say never." Is one piece of advice Alyssa Lane, Salina South High School Orchestra teacher offers to students. "It is really weird to come back to the school you grew up in and take over the program you grew up in... Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would teach in Salina. Everything I have said I would never do, I have done. Be open to what the world throws at you."

Alyssa started violin in 4th grade, joining the Salina Youth Symphony her 8th grade year. "In high school I had no idea what I wanted to do, but knew I loved music so I followed the Fine Arts pathway. By my senior year of high school I was very involved in music; I was in multiple orchestras including the Salina Symphony and the Kansas Wesleyan Chamber Orchestra, which made the choice to go to Kansas Wesleyan easy since I knew a lot of the people already. While at KWU I was in all of the operas, the select choir, chamber orchestra, and Salina Symphony, double majoring in Music Education and Computers. While at KWU I got to conduct the Prep Orchestra, assistant direct the Youth Symphony, and taught private lessons."

Following graduation from KWU, Alyssa has I hired at Great Bend as an Assistant Orchestra Director. While in Great Bend, she started a select middle school orchestra and was concertmaster of the Barton County Community Orchestra. Additionally, she also secured a grant to start an after school program. Now that Alyssa is back in Salina, she is one of the Directors of the new Salina Youth Symphony Orchestra (Preludio Orchestra).

Ken Hakoda at KWU inspired Alyssa to go into music. Completing her student teaching experience with Smoky Valley schools' orchestra instructor Henry Littich, Alyssa shares, "he is not only is an amazing teacher, but a great mentor. " Another person important in shaping Alyssa's career is Ft. Hays State violin instructor Matt Means. "Taking lessons in the summer during college, he would spend so much time talking to me about what I wanted to do with my life, and how to achieve the things I wanted to do."

Having the opportunity to be the Youth Symphony assistant influenced Alyssa's decision to go into music education. "Starting when I was in high school and through most of my time at KWU, I got to work with the prep orchestra. Working with the students and seeing the 'A-ha' moments was one of the most amazing things. I was sold!"

"If I had known then what I know now, what would stay the same or be different? I would have started taking lessons at a younger age. If you really enjoy something you should seek more information and do more of it! If you are interested in something and think it is a career you would like to do, then talk to people who have success in that career and follow them around or see if you can even help them. That is how I know how to do a lot of things that I didn't learn in school."

BRITTA HOMELVIG

After starting at Friends University as a ballet major, Britta Homelvig attended an extra credit lecture given by Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone. As a boy soldier in Sierra Leone, social workers saved Ishmael's life. Britta decided at that moment that she was changing her major to Social Welfare. Transferring to KU, she earned a BS in Social Welfare in 2010.

A 2006 SHS graduate, Britta works for JobPath in Tucson, Arizona where she is the Career Counselor for students enrolled in aviation, electrician apprenticeship, welding, truck driver training and electrical utility technology. JobPath assists unemployed and underemployed adults with higher education and job placement. They contribute millions of dollars annually to the local economy through economic development.

Check out Job Path at jobpath.net

Britta Job Path

MEGAN VAUPAL, a CHS 2006 graduate works at SeaWorld San Antonio. Currently working with pinnipeds (seal, sea lions and otters) she has also worked with orca, dolphins, and walruses as well. In her internships she worked with birds and manatees. Now a senior trainer, Megan continued her post-secondary education at Butler University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (Behavioral) and a minor in biology. Who knew this is a career option for Psychology majors!

While in high school, Megan swam in the South HS pool every year, which became a major factor in her passing the SeaWorld swim test and acquiring her job.

5

Megan and other Trainers at SeaWorld San Antonio

Another Friend

Everyone needs a Cheerleader

I love my water friends.

What a great career!