For some students, learning doesn’t stop for summer

Kirk Baird

Tuesday, July 18, 2000 | 8:59 a.m.

The temperature continued to climb but Charles Lane stood by his post, motionless, watching as myriad go-carts looking like small race cars zipped by.

Unflinching, the lanky 17-year-old resembled a guard at Buckingham Palace, only his position was as track supervisor at Scandia Family Fun Center, a miniature golf course with a race track, bumper boats, batting cage and arcade.

On this particular day, as Lane roasted in the sun, it was probably not the most enviable position for a teenager, especially during the summer, when teens usually enjoy a respite from homework, early curfews and even earlier mornings.

Nevertheless, as Lane took a quick work break, he said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I had a goal to get a car and to be independent, have my own money," the Palo Verde High School senior said. "And I have a new respect from my parents -- they treat me differently. "

Most importantly, Lane is under a new curfew, extended roughly two hours from midnight to 2 a.m.

"They treat me more like an adult," he said rather proudly.

It's a new role not only for Lane, but for many teenagers as they take on new responsibilities with their summer jobs. And Scandia, which hires a large percentage of teenagers as part of its crew, is just one teen-friendly local employer that's making it possible.

Mike Esposito carefully navigates the black-lit maze at Laser Quest, a fantasy setting where players engage in cat-and-mouse tactics involving "laser guns" in a 9,000-square-foot room that resembles an other-worldly cavern.

The object is to "shoot" the other players, thus disarming them momentarily, without being shot yourself. The more times you shoot your opponents, the more points you gain, with the winner being the one with the largest score at the end of the match.

As part of Esposito's job, he assumes the duty of "floor marshall," meaning that it's his responsibility to make sure that patrons obey all the rules, such as no running, jumping and basically creating a hazard for the other participants or themselves.

This means that the 17-year-old Advanced Technologies Academy graduate is in charge of players both younger and older than him, as well as his own age.

"We're trained when we're in the maze we have to command respect," he said. "We're the ones keeping people from being hurt."

Although placing a teenager in charge might seem like a risky venture, Dawn Kanjor, assistant manager of Laser Quest, said that she has no problem trusting her five crew members, all of whom are in high school. This includes handling money at the cash register and dealing in customer relations at "mission control" out front.

"They're learning responsibility and they're definitely learning customer service," she said.

As a 20-year-old, Kanjor said that she is close enough to the teens' age that she still can understand them, but is old enough to relate to her superiors. "When I'm in the office I'm 30, when I'm out here (at mission control) I'm 17," she said.

Kanjor began her employment as a floor marshall, then was promoted. The transition, she said, was difficult at first. "Now I'm telling them what to do," she said. "There's a lot more responsibility."

That is a big part of a teenager working his or her first job, said Larry Gross, manager of operations at Nevada Partners Inc., a nonprofit organization designed to help people who are unemployed or under-employed.

By joining the job force, Gross said that teens learn the importance of good work habits -- such as arriving at work on time and obeying the company rules and policies. This, of course, all falls under the jurisdiction of parents' favorite word: responsibility.

Throw in money management, especially if the teen has to watch his or her spending habits, and a job is almost the perfect vehicle for a teenager to learn firsthand what it is to be an adult.

And much like in the adult world, the success rate of a teenager in the workplace usually depends on several factors, Gross said.

"The family values they have, how mature they are and what skills they have and also self-esteem," he said. "Some youth can function better than others based on the combination of those things."

Lindsay Taylor is an example of that success.

Taylor started working at Hot Dog On A Stick at the Meadows mall four years ago when she was 16. It was her first job, something she thought she could do to earn money while in high school and into college.

But as time went by she continued to excel in her job and was promoted to manager. Now 20, she supervises 17 other employees, 13 of whom are in high school.

Taylor, who plans to return to college and study dentistry, said that working at the fast-food restaurant has been an "awesome experience." Because of her employment she has been afforded the opportunity to travel -- opening new stores around the country -- and to learn new skills, such as leadership and working better with people.

"I've learned things here I couldn't have learned anywhere else," she said. "I really learned a good work ethic by working here."

And now she's hoping to pass that experience on to her employees, including Sara Passer, 17, a senior at Bishop Gorman High School.

"I like to think I try to inspire them and teach them loyalty to the company," Taylor said. "I get to teach them how to work and how to enjoy their work. Hopefully they will take that with them the rest of their lives."

It seems to be working -- at least on one employee.

Passer said that in the seven months she's been working at Hot Dog On A Stick, both Taylor and the job in general have had an impact on her.

"It teaches me the value of a dollar," she said. "Your parents can't pay for you forever."