SEP College & Career News

08/04/2026

Attention Freshman Students and Families!
Start your High School pathway off successfully with a presentation from Iowa College Access Network (ICAN)

August 5, 2026
6:00 PM at Southeast Polk Junior High
Audience: 8th and 9th grade students + parents

Freshman Transitions: A Guide to Beginning High School
Starting high school is an exciting new chapter—one that sets the stage for future opportunities. The decisions you make in your freshman year, from course selection to extracurricular involvement, play a key role in shaping your path after graduation. This session helps students and families navigate the transition, make informed choices, and start planning for life beyond high school.

Topics:

Career Exploration & Goal Setting
Choosing the Right Courses for Your Future
Exploring Pathways: Apprenticeships, Military, College & More
Understanding Education Costs & Saving for the Future
Money Management Basics for High School Students
A Parent's Role in Academic & Career Planning

Junior High ICAN - Iowa College Access Network

06/05/2026

Apprenticeship Strong! Way to go students!

The remarkable stories of these outstanding first-year apprentices deserve to be told everywhere!

Carter Peterson and Jacquelin Lavariega first discovered their interest in the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #33 through a welding class at Johnston High School. Neither had any prior welding experience, but they quickly found a passion for the trade and excelled in the classroom and the shop. This past year, both competed in and won their respective divisions at the annual Local #33 Weld Contest. In fact, Jacquelin made history by becoming the first two-time champion in the event's 11-year history. After graduating from Johnston High School this May, both started their careers with Local #33 the very next day.

Logyn Jeske and Beau Glendening have a different, but equally inspiring, story—one that showcases what is possible when local high schools partner with Building Trades unions and registered apprenticeship programs. Both young men completed the Plumbing and HVAC Pre-Apprenticeship Program at Southeast Polk High School, successfully completed their required welding courses, and, like Carter and Jacquelin, began their careers with the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #33 immediately after graduation.

Their stories demonstrate the power of career and technical education, pre-apprenticeship programs, Union registered apprenticeships, and the signatory contractors employing these apprentices. These young men and women are now on a path to rewarding careers with excellent wages, outstanding benefits, world-class training, and perhaps most importantly—NO STUDENT LOAN DEBT!

This is what workforce development looks like. This is what the future of skilled trades looks like.

05/18/2026

🙌 Huge thanks to WHO 13 Des Moines for stopping by the Iowa Tech Expo last week!

We are so incredibly proud of our students, including Chase—one of our absolute all-stars—who did an amazing job representing us on camera! 🎥✨

Check out the full Scholastic Spotlight feature below to see our students in action:
👇👇👇

https://who13.com/on-air/seen-on-tv/scholastic-spotlight/scholastic-spotlight-southeast-polk-trades-and-grinnell-culinary/

05/15/2026

A massive thank you to the East Polk Rotary Club for their incredibly generous donation of just over $5,000 in tools today!
​These tools are going straight into our brand-new Introduction to Apprenticeship room for our 9th graders at the Junior High—which some of you might remember as an old locker room! It has been completely remodeled and is ready to help our students gain hands-on, real-world skills.
​We are so grateful to the Rotary for being such a huge asset to our program and investing in the future of our students.

​We will be hosting an Open House for this amazing new space this fall to recognize all of our donors. Stay tuned for details—you won’t want to miss it!


Club Of East Polk County
SEP Junior High

05/14/2026

The Future is Electric! ⚡️🏗️

We are beyond thrilled to announce that Breanna has officially signed with Baker Group! She is joining their Electrical Division as a Construction Wireman (CW) and is ready to spark a powerhouse career.

Breanna isn’t stopping there—she’s already applied for the Des Moines Electrical Apprenticeship. We love seeing our students take such bold, proactive steps toward mastering a trade!

🤝 To our Business Partners: Thank you for being the bridge between the classroom and high-impact careers. Your support of work-based learning makes success stories like Breanna’s possible.

Let’s give Breanna a huge round of applause in the comments! 👏👷‍♀️✨

05/14/2026

Huge congratulations to Michean for signing with Baker Group! 📝👷‍♂️ He’s officially joining their Electrical Division as a (CW), and we couldn't be prouder.

Michean isn’t stopping there—he has already applied to the Des Moines Electrical Apprenticeship and is ready to hit the ground running. It’s inspiring to see that kind of drive and dedication to starting a career!

A sincere thank you to our amazing business partners for supporting these work-based learning programs. Your investment in our students makes these life-changing opportunities possible. We truly couldn't do it without you! 🤝

Join us in wishing Michean the best of luck as he starts this exciting new chapter! 👇

05/14/2026

🔨 Building the Future, One Project at a Time! 🏗️

We are incredibly proud to congratulate these talented students for successfully completing Southeast Polk’s Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Construction! 🎓✨

This hasn't just been about textbooks and lectures—these students have been out in the field getting their hands dirty and gaining real-world experience. This school year alone, they’ve tackled impressive projects, including:

🏠 Built a full-scale garage

Poured three concrete pads

🛠️ Remodeling a classroom space
..and so many other essential projects around our community!

A massive THANK YOU to our incredible partners at Carpenters Local 106. 🤝 We couldn't do this without your tireless dedication, time, and resources. Thank you for investing in the next generation of skilled tradespeople and helping our students build a solid foundation for their careers.

05/14/2026

We are incredibly proud to announce that Logan has officially signed with Excel Mechanical and the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 33! ​Logan is a standout graduate of our High School Pre-Apprenticeship Program, and seeing him turn that training into a professional career path is what it’s all about. Taking advantage of these opportunities early on sets the foundation for a lifetime of success in the trades.
​Join us in celebrating this huge milestone! We can’t wait to see all the great things you’ll accomplish, Logan! 👷‍♂️✨

05/14/2026

What an incredible night for our students! 🎓✨
​A massive THANK YOU to SEP Dollars for Scholars for an unforgettable evening. Tonight, our community showed up in a big way, awarding over $235,000 in scholarships to deserving seniors!
​We are so lucky to live in such a gracious and supportive community that invests in the future of our kids. Congratulations to all the recipients!

05/13/2026

We are so proud to celebrate Conner as he officially begins his post-secondary career as a member of LIUNA! 🏗️🛠️
​Today was all about honoring Conner’s hard work and the exciting new chapter ahead of him. It is a perfect example of why we do what we do—connecting students with high-demand, high-skill pathways that lead straight into a successful career.
​A massive THANK YOU to all of our industry partners who make Work-Based Learning possible. Your mentorship and commitment to our students are building the future of our workforce! 👷‍♂️✨

Iowa Laborers' Education and Training Fund