Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Potlatch's Annual Teacher-Intern Summer Program Ends

Fifteen teachers from seven school districts in south Arkansas recently spent four weeks with Potlatch's Arkansas operations.

The teacher-intern program enables the teachers to return to their classrooms with credibility to share with students a more realistic view of business' role in the economy and the community. The teachers learn more about the operations of Potlatch, the contributions Potlatch makes to the community and challenges the forest and paper industry faces.

Participants in the 1998 Potlatch teacher-intern program from Prescott was Gaywyn Golden at Prescott Elementary School and Shelia Jennings, Prescott GIT coordinator.

Other participants were Melissa Hopson of Warren Brunson Elementary; Sherrie Faulkner, Leann Savage and Felecia Benent of Warren Eastside Elementary; Charles Bateman and Dana Fultz of Warren High School; Retha Lewis and Eldon Sawyer of Woodlawn High School; Sandra Tooke of Woodlawn Elementary; Melinda Hall of Hampton High School; Pearl Simpson of City Park and Monticello Intermediate School; Stephen Duvall of Dumas High School; and Debbie Fowler of McGehee High School.

"We developed the program in 1994 to give us insights into what teachers' needs and concerns are to enable groups of teachers to see firsthand today's workplace," Dick Bullard, vice president for the Southern Wood Products Division, said.

"This is a mutually beneficial program and is rewarding for the teachers, for Potlatch and for the students who will benefit from the teachers' experiences." Bullard noted that more than 45 teachers have participated since 1994.

For the four-week internship, the Warren teacher-interns were each assigned to a department, including the departments of employee relations, Southern Unit, Bradley Unit, resource, sales, security, accounting, engineering-environmental and public affairs.

The Prescott and Cypress Bend teachers-interns rotate to a different department each day.

Scheduled throughout the program were tours of the Southern Unit, the W&SR Railroad, the Bradley Hardwood Unit, the Cypress Bend Pulp and Paperboard Mill, the Ozan Unit in Prescott and a resource tour including trips to The Lost 40, a red-cockaded woodpecker cavity, the seed orchard, the 'Classroom in the Forest," and the world's largest loblolly pine tree located in Cleveland County.

They also attended discussions with different departments to better understand how each department functions in a corporate setting and participated in a mock test used as an evaluation tool given to prospective employees.

The teachers were very impressed with the modern technology of Potlatch's operations.

"I was impressed by all the steps it takes to make lumber said teacher-intern Pearl Simpson. "After seeing the skills required to work in the mills, I will encourage all students to stay in school. It takes a knowledge of mathematics, technology, reading and writing to be successful in this industry."

Eastside kindergarten teacher Felecia Bennett stated, "I enjoyed the resource tour, because it provided me with new information about the wildlife and ecosystem of area forests. In my classroom, we talk about wildlife conservation and now I can share with my students information about the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the efforts that Potlatch is making to preserve their habitat."

A luncheon was held at the conclusion of the four-week program so the teachers and Potlatch department heads could meet to discuss and evaluate the program.

The teachers shared their learning experiences while at Potlatch and discussed possible ways they could incorporate this information in the classroom. The teachers felt they had received valuable experience and knowledge to take back to the classroom.

"I am really not ready to leave," commented teacher-intern Sherrie Faulkner after the luncheon. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Potlatch."