WORK ETHICS PROJECT WINS AWARD; A.V. DISTRICT'S PROGRAM PROMOTES JOB CODE OF HONOR FOR KIDS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Antelope Valley High School senior Dennis Smith said he would not have known the first thing about getting a job if it hadn't been for the Antelope Valley Union High School District's work ethics program.

Smith said he has learned much from the 5-year-old program in which professional working people come into classrooms.

``It's put me so far ahead of my peers in knowing how to get jobs,'' said Smith, 17, who works at the Levi's outlet store in Lancaster. ``I wouldn't have known how to properly dress for an interview or write a resume without the program.''

The program has been selected to receive a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association. It will be presented at CSBA's annual conference Dec. 6 in Anaheim. The program is one of 60 singled out for recognition out of 325 nominated.

``When we recognize a district or school site for a Golden Bell Award, what we're looking for is an innovative or exemplary program that has been developed successfully and implemented,'' said Gahmelah Riffia, awards coordinator. ``In order to be recognized it has to demonstrate a difference for students. And the program needs to be sustainable.''

The work ethics program has its roots in a survey of local businesspeople nine years ago. They said the top issue in hiring and retaining employees was their work ethics - coming to work on time, giving a day's work for a day's pay and getting along with co-workers and customers.

``They wanted employees to have a good work ethic. People get fired because they don't have them,'' said June Battey, the district's coordinator of regional occupational programs.

The Antelope Valley Career Prep Council, formed in 1989 with the help of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, gave the high school board 11 recommendations, including one to find ways to teach work ethics to students.

In 1992, businesspeople were recruited to go into the classroom four or five times a semester and partner with instructors.

``We would have workplace scenarios. An employer would come in and go through scenarios and discuss what employers are looking for,'' Battey said.

The Career Prep Council also distilled work ethics into four words - trustworthy, responsible, respectful and fairness - displayed on a posters in every classroom.

``We met over the course of several months and brainstormed. We started with a list of 20 words and narrowed it down from there,'' said Ken Scott, who chaired a committee for the council.

``We wanted a few basic catch phrases or words that could easily be identified with over a wide range of students,'' said Scott, supervisor of budget and multiple programs at the Boeing office in Palmdale. ``We thought, with posters, you can have them in every classroom, and instructors could incorporate it into the curriculum as they saw fit. We did not want a separate curriculum.''

The high school district and the Lancaster Economic Development Corp. paid to print 5,000 posters.

Later the city of Lancaster paid to have 3,000 posters designed and printed for elementary school classrooms.

The brightly colored posters in the high school classrooms give examples of work ethics, highlighting behavior that schools and employers are looking for.

Work ethics posters are also being used in the middle schools, adult education classes and at Antelope Valley College, Battey said.

``I think it's excellent,'' Scott said of the award. ``It's due recognition for a committee that did a good job and for a program that was well received by the community at large.''