COLUMBIANA — Cornerstone Christian students need a taste of adulthood before graduation, according to school Director Jay Adams.

To that end, Adams is establishing four mock interview days a year, one per quarter, for students to experience what a job interview or a college interview feels like.

“If you talk to teenagers, you know they don’t communicate very well,” Adams said. “We’ve got kids in our hallways right now that have been here 10 years and will not say hello to me. They look at the ground.”

The interviews will be set up for students in grades 7-12.

Adams said he plans to have students in grades 7-9 do interviews with people they know so they can gain confidence in their conversation and interview skills.

However, older students will likely interview with local businesspeople they’re not as familiar with. Faculty will collect input from interviewers to share with the students afterward.

“It’s really important for kids to understand how they are perceived by strangers is important,” Adams said. “We’re teaching them how to sit across a desk from somebody who has something you want, and talk them into giving it to you.”

Students may run into the interview process sooner than they think. Adams said while interviews have always been a necessity for job applicants, he knows more and more colleges are using interviews to weed out prospective students.

“If you go to pharmacy school or law school, you’re going to have to go through an interview process,” he said.

Adams said it’s important for educators to teach students adult skills, not just academic subjects.

“Sometimes we get so worried about teaching the curriculum, we forget to prepare them for life,” he said.

The interview days are Sept. 23, 2010; Nov. 11, 2010; Feb. 9, 2011; and May 2, 2011.

The school is looking for 10 local businesspeople to participate in each interview day. To help out or get more information, call the school at 669-7777.