LAYTON—Students at Layton High now have a place where they can just hang out while getting some direction for the future. The new career center is part of a capital improvement project by Weber State University to contribute to feeder schools in Davis and Weber counties.

“In 2020 we were made aware that Weber High School was looking for a corporate partner to lead out with a donation to the school to facilitate a new drinking fountain where you could fill a water bottle,” said John Kowalewski, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for Weber State University. “After doing that for Weber High we saw the value in WSU making similar contributions to feeder high schools because they are in the geographic area we serve.”

WSU reached out to school foundations to assess their needs, Kowalewski said. “At Clearfield High they had opened a teen center. It’s a place where students in need can go to take a shower, wash clothes or receive hygiene items. WSU partnered with the school on that.”

He said WSU makes a financial commitment of about $2,000 to the school for capital improvements that will serve all the members of the school and community. “For example we wouldn’t sponsor just athletics because it doesn’t serve the whole population. It needs to serve the greater good.”

“WSU has grants for capital improvements and our principal became aware of it,” said Layton High Assistant Principal Adam Thompson. “We had this old computer lab but we didn’t need it because students have chrome books and laptops now. We repurposed that into something attractive and useful for the kids.”

It has furniture so that kids can meet in small groups, he said. “They have access to apps to go online and complete college or scholarship applications. There are two areas for employees to work out of and a big TV area so the presentations can be seen.”

Thompson said they have scholarship and college application specialists to help students through the process. “The plan is to have each student meet with them and a counselor to plan for the future about things they might want to do outside of high school.”

WSU has plans to work with each one of the high schools to form Davis County partnerships, said Kowalewski. “Our hope is that current students will want to call themselves Wildcats and be at WSU. We view it as a win-win situation.”

“We appreciate our relationship with WSU,” said Thompson. “It’s a great kickoff for what kids want to do after school. We want to show them there are so many resources out there for students who want to continue their education and that it is possible. We want to make them aware of what’s out there for them.”