A film crew for PBS and Northwest Public Broadcasting was at New Horizons High School last Monday & Tuesday to shoot a story for an upcoming TV show.

The show is called "American Graduate" and is an ongoing piece about kids that are graduating and the struggles that they face. This year the show is focused on how schools are getting these kids ready for the work force when they graduate.

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The show is highlighting 3 different areas where the programs at New Horizons High School are doing amazing things to break down barriers. The three programs the show will highlight are the Graduation Reality and Dual-Role Skills (GRADS) program in partnership with a daycare program for the school, the 2nd harvest affiliation for the student food pantry, and the schools competency based education programs according to the shows producers.

Four students, three staff members, and two community partners were interviewed for their rolls in the programs. Principle Seth Johnson, teacher Toni Buechler and teacher Jacqueline Brewster are the main staff members interviewed. Jacqueline Brewster is the teacher for the GRADS program and within her case management works with the Boys & Girls Club who they subcontract out to run the Day Care program. New Horizons pantry was the first school food pantry partnership with 2nd Harvest, one of the programs highlighted in the show.

Jacqueline Brewster was recognized for her innovative programs with the 2017 Region V Innovative Program Award (To recognize innovative career and technical education programs from each Region V state that are unique, novel, and are serving to improve and promote the image of career and technical education.) from the Region V Association for Career & Technical Education. She was also GRADS teacher of the year in 2016 and Washington Family and Consumer Sciences Educators (WA-FACSE) Teacher of the Year in 2017.

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"Having 2nd Harvest has made a huge difference with the amount of food we are able to provide to our students; which in turn allows them to focus on their schooling. Having basic needs met means a world of difference for the students. What started as a small section of a closet in a classroom eight years ago has turned into a room designed for the pantry when we moved to our new building last year, with four times as much space! People form the school and community have donated food, clothes, diapers, formula, and basic necessities as they hear of what we have. This last year we opened up the pantry to Columbia Basin Community College students as well. As far as the GRADS program, in the past eight years we have served up to fourty-one students per year. The partnership with Boys & Girls Club allows the students to access childcare for their child or children ranging from four-weeks old through kindergarten so they are able to attend school. For students in the Pasco school boundary they are also able to access a school bus with car seats installed to bring them to school and then back home. We are striving to remove as many barriers as possible and open up opportunities. Diploma A.N.D. (All New Destination)."

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Mrs Brewster saw the need for her students to have access to healthy food, with a community partner, they set up a connection with the local food bank 2nd Harvest to enhance the campus food pantry. Now, all students can come to the pantry every day and have access to food and necessities thanks to the program.

The show will air sometime from mid to the end of October on PBS. Find out more at nwpb.org.

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