EATON —It’s never too early to start thinking about the future.
Hollingsworth-East Elementary school held Career Day on Thursday, May 18. With several presenters from a wide range of careers on hand to help show the students what might be possible for them once they are grown.
According to Guidance Counselor Tricia McGinnis, the 14 presenters were mostly from the area. The school wanted to offer a large array of different careers, anywhere from a police officer to a massage therapist.
“The idea is to showcase different jobs,” McGinnis said. “At this level, since we’re dealing with kindergarten to second grade, it’s really just to have fun. To give them an idea of what sort of careers are out there. We don’t expect them to know what they really want to do at this point. We just want to get them excited about possible ideas for the future.”
Presenters included: Kyle Hamilton and Jeremy Linder from Sun Powered Solutions, Angel Taylor from Salon Chateau, artist Adam Fields, massage therapist Holly Steele, Dr. Miguel Gaeta, Candy Eiler from Preble County Agriculture, chiropractor Dr. Matt Roberts, robotics representative Bob Unruh, lawyer Jill Hittle, paper maker Doug Hart, culinary artist Cortney Bergbigler, Sarah Tozier from Preble County Library, Eaton Police officer Craig Jones and K9 Argo, Vickie and Mary (and a pony) with Shiloh Farms.
The school has an entire committee dedicated to picking what presenters attend Career Day.
“We all had different ideas,” McGinnis added. “Some of these presenters, however, have a connection with some of our students in the building. They may even be parents, or a relative, or connected in some way. They could be people that we personally know or are well known in the community, maybe have participated in the past. So they were invited to come back in.”
According to McGinnis, every year the event is a huge hit with the children. “First of all, when we have animals come in,” she said. “The K9, the one the police officer brings in, is a hit every year. I know they’re going to love the pony that Shiloh Farms brought in. Really I think the kids just love to do interactive type activities, where they get to join in with the presentations and get to feel like they’re a part of it, but it’s something different, fun, and exciting to do to mix it up at the end of the year.
“It also gives them good information. They get to learn about new careers and stuff that they don’t always get to hear about. Something different to do.”
She added, “I love that this gets the whole community involved and I think it’s a really fun and exciting opportunity for our children. Today is about awareness and fun.”