Seventh-grade pupils from Bellefontaine, Benjamin Logan, Indian Lake and Riverside schools have an opportunity Thursday, Oct. 26, to talk with representatives from more than 40 different professions working in Logan County during the second annual Career Day hosted by Riverside Schools.
This event began last year as a result of a recommendation made by the Logan County Collaborative. Karen Sorreles, Midwest Regional Educational Service Center youth development liaison, organizes the effort in conjunction with Erin Henry from the Logan County Chamber of Commerce.
The goal of Career Day is for students to get hands-on exposure to well-known occupations, including many positions they may not have heard about or come in contact with in their daily routines.
Students will have the chance to ask questions and get to know local people working in the areas of law enforcement, real estate, agriculture, graphic art, construction, cosmetology, engineering, various medical fields and many more.
In addition, participants will be assigned different tasks to learn more about careers they have an interest in for the future. Students have the opportunity to interview the representatives, asking about typical work days, required education and what they enjoy about their jobs.
Extensive career exploration is now an important part of the required curriculum for middle school students, which includes guest class speakers in the sixth-grade and job shadowing in the eighth-grade.
The Seventh-Grade Logan County Career Day “is part of planting that seed so students can start to really consider their career path and what it takes to reach their personal career goals,” Sorreles said.