Belle Fourche High School partners with Rolling Hills Healthcare

By amanda WolTersTorff Black Hills Pioneer

BELLE FOURCHE — Belle Fourche

High School received a $35,000, threeyear grant, which allows students to conduct an apprenticeship.

The grant, Start Today SD Pathway Partnership, allowed the school to begin partnering with Rolling Hills Healthcare, a skilled nursing facility in Belle Fourche, in September 2022. This gives students the opportunity to gain experience in healthcare.

Although Mary Day, a career and technical educator at Belle Fourche

High School, has been leading an internship program for 19 years, she decided last summer that there was a need for an apprenticeship program as well.

The difference between the two is time and pay.

“The internship program is offered to juniors and seniors, and they can go out and get an internship for one semester at a business or in a field or career that interests them. That is generally unpaid,” said Day.

Rolling Hills Healthcare willingly participated in the internship program in the past, so after consulting with the Department of Labor, Day decided to ask the skilled nursing facility if they’d like to partner with the high school for the apprenticeship program.

“When we had initial conversations with Rolling Hills, it was determined that there was a definite need for increased employment in the healthcare industry due to a shortage of nursing assistants,” said Day. “They (Rolling Hills Healthcare) provide on the job learning, training, testing, and certification for students at Belle Fourche High School to be licensed as a certified nursing assistant (CNA).” will be able to practice with the simulator. The school will help prep them for that test, too,” said Hartwell. “When they get their learner’s permit, the rest of their time will be in the truck. If they are having troubles with a certain scenario in the truck, then they can practice more on the simulator.”

Day said the number of students who can participate in the program is dependent upon how many positions Rolling Hills Healthcare can accommodate each school year and how many students take interest in the program.

“CNAs are in very high demand. We will always have job openings,” said Rolling Hills Healthcare Executive Director Tracy Harwood. The program is designed so that the apprentices will be paid by the healthcare facility.

“This grant was put out to challenge us career and technical teachers to do something innovative and new,” said Cyle Miller, a career and technical educator at the school.

The students will take their CDL learner’s permit at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Belle Fourche, and once they have had enough time behind the real wheel, they will be able to take their CDL test with Roger Stevens, a CDL examiner located in Spearfish.

“Getting a CDL will open a lot of doors for them. Any truck that has a commercial tag on it, you have to have a CDL to drive it,” said Hartwell. “So if they work for a plumber, a carpenter, anything like that, it will open a door for them. That’s better pay, too.”

Mathew Raba, principal of Belle Fourche High School, recently ordered the two simulators and is awaiting their arrival. As for the semi-truck, the school is currently searching the market for one that will meet their needs.

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