At Du Quoin High School, the strongest lessons don't always happen within classroom walls. Sometimes they're learned in welding booths, on factory floors, or during moments when students realize—maybe for the first time—that the skills they're building today will shape the opportunities available to them tomorrow.

That connection between school and life beyond it is the shared focus of three people who know Du Quoin as both a community and a launching pad: Athletic Director and AP U.S. History teacher Shawn File, Prysmian regional engineering leader Erik Perks, and Agriculture teacher Ann Piotrowski. Their collaboration has helped redefine what it means for students to see meaningful futures right here at home.

Ann is one of two ag teachers, partnered with Sarah McKinnies, who handles welding, mechanics, and construction. Ann teaches plant science, animal science, ag business, and intro to agriculture. Together, they prepare students for careers that require technical skill, responsibility, and the ability to learn.

Community partnerships are central to that work. And in Du Quoin, few partnerships run deeper than the one with Prismian Group, the global cable manufacturer that has operated in the community for 60 years—known locally under previous names like General Cable, BICC, Cadillac, and Phelps Dodge. Prysmian is the largest taxpayer in Perry County.

Erik describes the relationship simply: we show up. Prysmian hosts student tours, sends staff into classrooms, provides real-world demonstrations, and—through a partnership with Man-Tra-Con—helps students secure professional-grade PPE they keep as their own: steel-toe boots, safety glasses. "We're a multi-generational employer," Erik says. "Everybody knows somebody in that plant." The company often hires at least one student from each year's group. "Not always on purpose," Erik says. "It just happens."

Shawn taught American history for nearly two decades before becoming Du Quoin's Athletic Director at the beginning of the 24-25 school year. As Shawn coordinated the Junior Community Service day in the spring semester, it was a challenge to find a placement for over 100 students.  Erik and Prysmian Group stepped up to provide students an opportunity to work on projects at the plant. Initially students were apprehensive about going to Prysmian, but not it is one of the first spots to be filled up.  "Prysmian Group hooks our students up with lunch and some swag. They really take care of our students."

But the deeper purpose is preparing students for careers—and for the expectations that come with them. Ann sees it in her ag business classes. Kids practice mock interviews with real industry professionals. They learn soft skills that families sometimes don't have time to teach, and which employers value enormously.

Erik expands on that. When he meets with students, the first thing he talks about is their why. "If they don't understand why they want to work, they're not going to wake up in the cold mornings," he says. "Or they get the first big paycheck, they're not gonna go to work the next day." From there, he shows them career paths and talks about what Prismian looks for: good attitude, math aptitude, and showing up to work.

Then he talks about math—not abstract equations, but math that determines cable thickness to the thousandth of an inch or governs truck loads crossing state lines. "Do you have any questions before you go out there?" he asks before tours. Not many. "Then you go out there and then you come back...you could stay in the room for like another hour. They just keep asking questions."

To meet that need, the district added an applied math course this year with Samantha Gregory—a game-changer for CTE students. Suddenly, math isn't theoretical. It's practical.

Ann adds that the district's expanding network—career fairs, union representatives, industry partners, colleges—gives students clarity about opportunities. "It's all about fit," she says.

Shawn closes with a reflection that captures the entire spirit: Du Quoin is a community where people take care of their kids and invest in their schools. Students realize it too. "I can do pretty well right here," he says. "I don't have to leave. I don't have to go to the big city. I can do well right here."

And that's the heart of this partnership: preparing students for futures they can see—with clarity, dignity, and purpose—right here at home.