It’s never too early to think about career choices, especially in the Cornwall Central School District. On June 4, the middle school hosted its first Career Fair for eighth graders.
Building principal Kate Polumbo has been trying to bring more career-oriented events into the school. Guidance counselors Jeanne Kendrick and Christine Trieste were tasked with organizing the fair.
“We wanted to focus on students heading into the high school,” the counselors said. “They’re going to start tailoring some of their high school credits toward college, which is also focused on what they’re planning for their future.”
Based on conversations with students, some have a plan already mapped out while others have no idea what they want to do for a living. The career fair addressed both types of individuals.
The counselors reached out to the Director of Career Services, at SUNY Orange, who then put them in contact with individuals who attended the community college’s career fairs in the past. Then they used the building’s own staff as resources and asked for help from parents.
With all the organization complete, the fair featured 16 presenters touching on many of the career clusters. There were representatives from the military, education and training, human services, engineering, hospitality and tourism, the arts, manufacturing, law enforcement, finance, health and science, and maintenance operations. There was also a representative from SUNY Orange, as well as the Orange-Ulster BOCES CTEC program.
The fair was set up in the cafeteria. Presenters were encouraged to bring as many visual resources as possible to engage the students. For example, a recreational therapist brought some balls to get the students involved.
The eighth graders were split into two groups and each had about 40 to 45 minutes to speak with as many presenters as possible.
Following up with some students afterwards, the counselors received positive feedback. One girl was overheard commenting she knew exactly what field she’d be entering.
Looking ahead, the counselors want to invite more presenters next year. They hope to poll students earlier in the year, to gauge their interests, and they plan to select speakers based on the results of the poll.
At some point, the organizers will start to invite students in lower grades.
