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By MICHELLE LOVE | Staff Writer

 HELENA – The Helena City Council voted yes on a request from Councilmember Chris VanCleave to provide new computers to Helena High School’s marketing program at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Aug. 22.

The funding for the computers will come from the city’s one-cent tax, which is earmarked for education purposes. The updated computers will be used by the students in the marketing program to learn marketing and public relation skills that will help increase their chances of finding a job in the future. 

“I’m grateful the Council passed this resolution to approve funds from the one-cent fund to provide these computers so Helena children have more opportunities and access to education,” Mayor Brian Puckett said.

VanCleave said the program’s previous computers did not have enough fire power to run the necessary programs, and the new computers will be able to not only run the proper programs, but enhance the students’ learning experience.

“It’s also teaching these kids marketable and employable job skills,” he said. “They can take the experience they get working on that software and go get a job.”

VanCleave added that school programs like the marketing program are vital in helping students find a path for themselves after high school.

“You know, not everyone goes off to a secondary education,” he said. “People need to realize that. We live in a very affluent community, but not everybody goes to college, and not everybody is suited for college, but the things we teach in those marketing programs, they are vital to helping these kids find jobs.”

The issue held a special place in VanCleave’s heart as he said he remembers his own experiences in his high school marketing program.

“I’m thinking about the kids sitting in the classroom trying to get a skill that can help them get a good job someday,” he said. “I knew the importance of the marketing class that I was in in high school and what it taught me, and to see where I’m at today, that means everything. Those couple of years in high school if you can get a teacher that will work with you and teach you something that you can take with you for the rest of your life, it’s invaluable.”