Class offers real-world application

When Joe Harmon needed to launch a new website for his business, he knew just where to go to have it designed — a classroom at North Hardin High School.

Kelly Cantrall

Teacher Dawn Wheeler, right, looks on as representatives of E'town Electronics, soon to be 911 Express Tech, see student work on the website design.

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E’town Electronics, soon to be 911 Express Tech, has partnered with students at North Hardin by asking them to create a website for the business, which is in the middle of rebranding. Students in a website management class are competing to create the business’s new site.

Teacher Dawn Wheeler was approached with the idea, and she was intrigued by the aspect of community involvement, she said. The real-world application is what she enjoys about teaching business classes.

“Their work has value and it’s real,” she said of the project.

Students have met with Harmon and others from the business, and they’ve been independently working on their own versions of the site. Business representatives met with students Friday to view their progress and announce the prize: $200, a place on the business’s advisory board and a letter of recommendation for college applications.

Harmon’s own experience inspired him to reach out to the students.

“It goes back to when I was in high school,” he said.

He took programming classes in high school that pushed him toward his current career.

“I wanted to give the same opportunity to high school kids in helping them find their passion,” he said.

Senior Kassey Van Meter took a design class her sophomore year.

“I realized how much I love Web designing,” she said. She’d like to pursue the career after high school.

Van Meter and junior Jordan Murray said the project is exciting, but it’s been a challenge to learn about design as they go along.

Van Meter said the prizes and the business usage is extra motivation “because it gives you a reason to keep doing it because you see it used and actually working.”

Senior Melissa Smith said the project has shown her she would like this kind of work.

“In all, I think it’s helped me realize that Web design is something I’d like to pursue in the future,” Smith said.

Kelly Cantrall can be reached at (270) 505-1747 or kcantrall@thenewsenterprise.com.