AspYre to learn new things

If you’ve been wanting to put faces with the new voices you have been hearing occasionally on WXMZ this summer, this is your chance.

Ashton Doss, 19, and Blane Morphew, 17, have been spending a few hours two days a week at the Ohio County Times-News/WXMZ office where they are being shown the ins and outs of the radio business.

Doss and Morphew are among approximately 25 to 30 other students throughout the county participating in AspYre LLC’s Summer Work Program. The program is for students between the ages of 14-21 who have an Individualized Educational Plan, 504 that addresses the unique learning needs of a student with a disability or a documented diagnosis from a doctor that may cause limitations in education and/or the workplace. Through the special education program, students can attend high school until they are 21.

The program pays the students as they work one-on-one with a mentor in an area of their vocational interest for six to eight weeks in the summer.

Doss, Morphew and their mentor Donna Ford have been spending five hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays learning from WXMZ’s Morning Man Sam Alford and Midday at the Z Host Josh Wright.

WXMZ is just one of the places where students are getting hands-on experience throughout the county. A few of the opportunities available to the students include places such as the Ohio County Schools in the bus garage and with summer feeding program and janitorial work and the Ohio County Wellness Center.

For Morphew, working in radio is a dream come true.

“This has been Blane’s dream, to be on the radio. He’s living the dream,” Ford said.

Morphew said he loves music as well as being able to communicate with the community.

Doss, who worked in janitorial at the high school for the past two years, said he was interested in trying something new.

“I’ve never done anything like this before so I wanted to try it.”

Doss said while working for WXMZ this summer he has learned that you can do “pretty neat things on the computer” when it comes to the radio. Morphew said he loved learning about the board and how it operates. Both of the boys have gotten to be live on the air announcing songs and helping co-host the hour-long midday show. They have also learned “radio host etiquette” and what they can and can’t say on the radio.

“It’s just a really great program,” said Ford who has been serving as a mentor with AspYre for five years. “They offer so many things.”

AspYre offers the summer work program in surrounding counties such as McLean, Daviess and Butler, Ford said.

“We have had really good success with it here,” she said.

Doss said he loved the fact that he could request what type of job he wanted and they will work with you to find a place that fits.

“It’s been really nice to be working here and experiencing new things,” Doss said. “The AspYre program has been nice to us and we are all really grateful to be able to come here.”