Success at Work
“Success at Work” ($AW) is a bi-annual, 8th-grade level course produced by the Seabrook Rotary Club at Seabrook Intermediate School. $AW is an intensive five-hour course of instruction in workplace/life application skills, featuring: budgeting; job search; resume building; ethics; payroll and taxation; venture and working capital, and risk. One might think the course material beyond the grasp of thirteen-year-old kids, but quite the contrary.
NOTE: Lesson plans and course materials are available as downloads in native formats (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) at this web site for clubs interested in producing $AW courses in their local school(s). Find the links below.
Lesson Plans
Following are links to all Lesson Plans and teaching aids, including Excel Spreadsheets and Power Point slides corresponding to each lesson. Clubs are invited to make changes as appropriate to meet their own needs, including your Club’s name. Active spreadsheets are included for classes with computers. Hardcopy versions are included also for classes without computers. Instructions for use are provided in each version.
- Instructors Manual
- Student Packet
- Lesson 1 Pre-Class Budgeting Homework
- Lesson 1 Budget Worksheets
- Lesson 1 Making Ends Meet
- Lesson 2 Finding a Job and Putting My Best Foot Forward
- Lesson 2 Video, Gymnast
- Lesson 2 Video, Austin High School Interview
- Lesson 3 How Things Work at Work
- Lesson 4 My Taxes…, My Responsibilities
- Lesson 5 The Big Picture
- Lesson 5 World’s Best Cookie Budget
- Lesson 5 Completion Certificate
The goal of the Success at Work Program ($AW) is to introduce middle school students to the workplace, to help them develop an understanding of their responsibilities in the workplace, to instill in them a sense of self-worth, an appreciation for the opportunities available to them, an awareness of the value of a good work ethic, and a recognition of their own employment potential. Also included in this course are concepts and lessons related to personal financial responsibility, compensation, taxes, working and investment capital, risk and civics.
Serving as role models, members of Rotary and other business professionals volunteer their time and talents by helping students prepare for the working world. These leaders are able to give students real-life perspectives by sharing from their own business and professional experiences; experiences that are not otherwise available through normal school curriculum.
Success at Work ($AW) is a nationally recognized program developed originally by the De Land Area Chamber of Commerce, Volusia County, Florida in 1987 and in partnership with other organizations, including:
- Volusia County Schools Volunteer/Partnership Programs
- Career Connection/Volusia-Flagler School-to-Work Consortium
- Stetson University Department of Career Services
The Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce first adapted the program for the Greater Houston area in 1999 through the efforts of its Education Committee. In the spring of 2001 the Rotary Clubs of Bellaire/Southwest Houston, Braes Bayou, Galleria, and Sharpstown conducted $AW classes at Welch Middle School. During the 2001/2002 fiscal year, Rotary District 5890 incorporated the program into its Vocational Service Lane.
Significant contributions in updates and revisions have since been credited to:
- Rotarians Don Beckner and Robert Almaraz, 2004
- Rotary Clubs of District 5890 – Bellaire, Seabrook, Sharpstown and West University Place, 2007, revision “A”
- Rotary Club of Seabrook, 2013, revision “B”
