Career Fair connects daily lessons to careers

To introduce students to a variety of careers, Hallowell Elementary School students in grades Pre-K through 5, attended the school’s first Career Fair on October 7. A group of teachers came up with the idea for the Career Fair and ran the idea by Principal Steve Glaize.

“It’s the best when teachers come to me with really imaginative ideas,” said Glaize. Over the summer, the school informed families that they were looking for volunteers to speak about their careers in the fall and that they could also extend the invitation to other community members.

About 25 volunteers had stations set up around the school and talked to students about what their professional day entails. Students learned from a pilot, police officer, firefighter, doctor, nurse, realtor, aerospace engineer, gym owner, scientist, plumber, IT specialist, high school counselor, retired Army ranger and a musician. Some volunteers brought relevant items with them to show the students and others showcased presentations on a projector.

“It was up to the volunteers on how to handle their time with the students, and we saw a really nice cross-section of disciplines and backgrounds,” said Glaize.

Students learned what skills are needed for these careers and connected their education to different career paths. “This is a situation where students can see the relevancy of what they’re learning about and take it to another level by connecting careers to their daily studies,” said Glaize.

The younger students began to understand what a career is while the older students started to get an idea of what options are out there. “The Career Fair is also about family members – or volunteers connected to family members – giving back and sharing their experiences with the students,” said Glaize. “The event is bringing more people to our school, which is really great.”

To show their appreciation, the Fifth Grade Student Leadership Team made thank-you goodie bags and wrote personalized thank-you messages to all the volunteers.

Hallowell Elementary School hopes to grow and improve the Career Fair for next year. After the event, teachers had circle time with the students to see what they learned and hear their feedback. Next year, the school hopes to invite local rotary clubs and business leaders to expand their list of volunteers.