Every teacher has heard the familiar cry from their students, “when will we use this in real life?”

There is often a disconnect between school curriculum, from the quadratic formula to cell parts, and experiences and skills that students will actually need in the future. Todd Jones, government teacher, recognized the demand for more practical learning.

This Friday, Oct. 10, “Life 101” will be held in the Commons from 9 a.m. to noon. The event features different stations, where one can learn anything from ironing pants to leasing an apartment. “Life 101” costs $10 in advance and the money goes toward scholarship funds honoring Maddi Higgins, Sierra Grill and Taylor Combs, West Linn students who have passed away in the past three years.

“We got the idea a few years ago when we realized lots of kids didn’t have these sort of basic life skills,” Jones said. The money was originally going to go towards the seniors’ end-of-the-year party, but this year the class decided against fundraising. Jones still wanted to donate the money from the event, and decided to put it towards West Linn students.

“I think it’s a nice way to honor their memory,” Jones said.

Sign-ups for Life 101 are available in the library at lunch until Oct. 10.