Irrigon Elementary School (IES) recenty invited professionals from various industries to their school, offering students an opportunity to explore different careers in an engaging way.
Fourth, fifth and sixth graders were able to navigate around the school and get more information about the various job industries that were presented.
Booths were set up in the gymnasium and the east parking lot of the school. In the music room musician Zac Grooms wowed the kids with his rendition of John Denver’s “Country Roads, Take Me Home.” Across the hall, Chris Barley educated students on careers in food safety. Students were able to meet with the Morrow County Health District, the Irrigon Rural Fire Department, Boardman Public Works, Community Counseling Solutions, the Department of Corrections, Peach & Plum Studio, American Pacific Mortgage, the National Guard, and more.
All week long, the kids prepared for the Career Fair by learning some interview skills, creating questions to ask the professionals at the booths, and thinking about the kind of career they may be interested in. Some students even came dressed for the occasion! Jeremiah, a fourth grader from Dawn Sharp’s class, said that he would really like to be a lawyer, but that there are so many other careers he is interested in. He shared that next time, he hopes to see a professional gamer at the fair. Jeremiah’s favorite activity was touring the Department of Corrections bus. His friend wants to be a ninja when he grows up.
Melanie, from Kevin Hamblin’s fifth grade class was excited to share that she spoke with a counselor, her top career choice at the moment. When asked what makes her interested in counseling, she responded “When my friends are having problems, I would help them. Other people who saw that would tell me I would be a good counselor. And I actually like to help!”
Kelsie Riley, guidance counselor at Irrigon Elementary and organizer of the event, reported that this is the first year of the IES Career Fair. She shared that while some counselors may not think about hosting a career fair with kids of this age group, she believes it to be an advantage. She said students can get a better idea of things they may like to do in the future. She stated that being a school counselor is about fostering students’ social and emotional learning, but their career development as well.
Riley said that some of the primary goals of this event were to show the students that their school is helping to prepare them for their futures and to show the wide range of careers they can venture into.
