About
Origin Story
Our immediate focus is allocated towards developing strategies and solutions with a systematic approach to discovering motivated young men and women graduating from Hardin County who desire full-time or part-time employment within our community. Among our community are eager employers seeking young, skilled workers who are motivated to succeed, have a desire to learn and grow, and are reliable, dependable, trustworthy, and ready to get to work.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to ensure all students at Hardin County High School are aware of the careers that are available in our local area and to understand how to choose a career path.
Bellis May
Director of W.A.P.P.
Mrs. Bellis May serves as the Career Development Coordinator and Director of the W.A.P.P. program. Bellis is a Hardin County native and 2009 Graduate of Hardin County High School. She attended Bethel University on a Shooting Sports Scholarship where she obtained a Bachelors in Psychology. While attending Bethel, Bellis gained great insight into the world of manufacturing as she worked in one of the largest manufacturing companies in West Tennessee. After completing her degree, she was hired as the Social Services Director at Adamsville Healthcare and later promoted to Marketing Director. Bellis completed her Masters in School Counseling from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and transitioned to serving as a School Counselor at Pickwick Southside School. Bellis has also served on the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors as Secretary and continues to serve on the Christmas on Main Committee.
Student Success Stories
Local Endorsements
- Dan Farrand
Store Manager, Lowe’s – Savannah, TN
W.A.P.P. is an amazing program that benefits our entire community. It not only feels good to give these kids a chance to succeed right out of high school, but it benefits the businesses so much as well. It takes such a huge relief off the business to have candidates that want to work, eager to learn and make a difference for themselves and their families. It is no secret that businesses are struggling to find candidates in ever business model, so why are we not utilizing the programs that already established to help our kids, and our community succeed? A success story to back up this view… in my store I have already promoted someone who came from the W.A.P.P. Program to a leadership position, having someone earn this opportunity at such a young age adds an element to my leadership team to mentor, develop our store team in ways that would go overlooked previously.
- Darrell Stricklin
CTE Director, Hardin County Schools
W.A.P.P. is a much needed program that provides students the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience and job skills while still in high school. Creating an awareness of possible career opportunities is a key component to helping students who may not be going to college. W.A.P.P. helps provide an open line of communication by connecting students from school to a career and addressing the skills needed to be successful.
- Jeff Boyd
WISE Seat Company
As a former student W.A.P.P. supporter, I am proud of the W.A.P.P. Program, and the opportunity it offers to our local high school students. This program has been a great resource for us, a manufacturer in the area, to offer work experience with competitive wages and benefit packages to young adults who are ready to begin a career. We look forward to many more opportunities with the W.A.P.P. Program and the Wise Company to help grow our young adults.
- Kevin Davis
Hardin County Mayor
I am in full support of Workforce Alliance Partnership for Placement (W.A.P.P.). W.A.P.P. prepares students in Hardin County for an ever-evolving modern workforce before and after graduation. W.A.P.P. will assist students in finding the path that is best for them and the method to earn the certifications of skills they need to succeed-which results in employees that are best for local employers.
- Linda Beaulieu
Design Team Sign Company
Design Teams partnership with W.A.P.P. has allowed us to develop you in the community and provide them with skills that can directly impact their success later in life. Our youth have a positive and rewarding future in Hardin County.
- Michael Davis
Director, Hardin County Schools
There have been many new and exciting programs started during my tenure as Director of Schools and W.A.P.P. has proven to be one of the very best for our students and community. This program builds positive relationships with our students and our local workforce and in turn has benefited both greatly. I am forever grateful to our school board for making W.A.P.P. a priority with funding and appreciate our local W.A.P.P. sponsors very much as well.
- Stephen Milligan
TN Technology Center at Crump
The W.A.P.P. Program provides students the benefit of seeing careers first-hand as they make decisions about their futures. Their partnership between education and employers goes beyond the classroom by engaging students in a career pathway as we work together to tackle the skills gap.
- Wes Wilkerson
Principal, Hardin County High School
We recognize the W.A.P.P. program as an asset to our school and students and are very excited for its future at HCHS. We believe the valuable work experience gained will create more employable students, increasing their motivation to achieve more. Our community plays a crucial role in forging the gap between students' education and careers. We are fortunate to work with community partners who invest in our students and are helping them make Hardin County a better place to live and work.
Upcoming Meetings
NO UPCOMING MEETINGS SCHEDULED AT HIS TIME.
