Students at Overton Elementary School concluded a series of lessons on career awareness and development with Career Day on March 27. More than 20 members of the community described their careers and inspired students to work hard in school.
Speakers helped students connect school to the world of work by explaining how they use subjects they studied when they were in elementary school in their careers today. Students learned about careers including law enforcement, music performance, civil engineering, medicine, athletics, farming and journalism.
Career Day organizers also placed an emphasis on including speakers from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to support Overton’s STEM curriculum and found many parent volunteers willing to help. Dr. Jennifer Hudson, mother of Maria Hudson, brought along nurse Alicia Shue to help describe her career as a pediatrician. Hugo Correa, father of David Correa explained his work with Aquaponics, an innovation in agriculture where food is grown in fish-filled water. Shawn Campion, father of Abby Campion, shared his experience with robotics as president of Integro Technologies. Chord Coyle’s father, Nathan, engaged students with Legos and Tinkertoys to describe his career as an architect. Dr. Kevin Watson, father of Keeley Watson, engrossed students with a video of an abdominal operation to help illustrate his career as a surgeon.
Other Career Day speakers included: Wayne Moody, a civil engineer with HDR; Shavonne Potts, a reporter for the Salisbury Post; Sidney Sessoms, band director at Livingstone College; Jim Hand, Brandy Jones, Leslie Dent, Michael Waller, Corey Lee and Luke McCarthy, Catawba College athletic training staff and students; Dicy McCullough, a local writer; Nora Patterson, corporate secretary; and Anna Woodbury with Patterson Farms; Curtis Walker, head football coach at Catawba College; Susan Trivette, education director for the Salisbury Symphony; Bob Harris, owner of Piedmont Footings; Capt. Brian Mayo, Engineer Chris Haynes, fire control specialist Tyler Heilig and fire control specialist Josh Martin with the Salisbury Fire Department; Hunter Shue, police officer with the Spencer Police Department; and Kim Starnes, a local farmer.
Preceeding Career Day, students engaged in a variety of lessons and activities to enhance their career development. Students took interest inventories and explored careers on the Internet. Upper grades used their iPads to create movie trailers about their favorite careers. Students also voted on the career they would choose using their iPads and posted the results as bar graphs.
Career Day organizers included Brandi Roby, Communities in Schools Coordinator, Emily Shue, media specialist, and Rosemary Wood, school counselor.