This year, Wilsonville High School has gained a valuable new teacher in Mr. Jason Jensen, a veteran of the school district who has taught at both Inza R. Wood Middle School and Meridian Creek Middle School.

Jensen, who is heading the design department, came to the high school with a specific vision for shaping his students’ futures.

He says “My primary goal is to build a system to put students directly into the workforce.” He wants his courses, which include CAD and Graphic design I and II, to be informed by the current graphic design industry standards, saying “We want to create industry partnerships which will help bring guidance to the curriculum.”

Jensen wants his students to be disciplined in their design abilities before they graduate.  He thinks “It’s really important in today’s market to have the skill sets to make above minimum wage directly out of high school.”

Jensen values the community as a medium for creating career opportunities for budding students to showcase their design skills and make a little cash along the way.

When asked if there are any classes he would want to introduce to the high school in the future, Jensen replied, “ I would like to have a capstone class to incorporate the skill sets from Photoshop, InDesign and illustrator where they’re working on real life projects that come to them from community and local businesses.”

Mr. Jensen’s ambition is refreshing and his classes are perfect for students who want a taste of workplace experience.