EES Career Day sees another successful year
Published 5:59 pm Monday, October 9, 2017
After 11 years, Friday’s annual Eastern Elementary School Career Day was the most successful one to date, according to school counselor Elizabeth Picone.
“This is, I have to say, the biggest career day we’ve had in terms of variety of careers, the number of people coming,” Picone said. “I see so much excitement on their faces, and the teachers are like, ‘This is awesome.’”
Picone and her co-chair Lois Hoot work hard to put the event together every year. The idea is to expose the students to as many opportunities as possible, according to Picone. On Friday, the school hosted representatives from law enforcement, medical professionals, animal control officers, local businesses and more.
“They all want to be princesses and firemen, but you know what? I hope somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to help somebody breathe. I want to be a respiratory therapist.’ ‘Oh, I want to work with animals.’ It just broadens their horizon,” Picone said.
With help and suggestions from teachers and parents, Picone said she and Hoot were able to secure a diverse group of professionals from many career fields. The school’s Parent-Teacher Association offered its support for the event, as well.
“Our kids are 5, 6, 7. I tell everybody the same thing. Be exuberant when you talk. Manipulatives — anything that they could touch … anything that can be passed around keeps their concentration,” Picone said. “Another thing we ask our presenters, talk about the education aspect of it — how important school is.”
By bringing career information down to an elementary student’s level, the information sparks an interest and serves as potential inspiration for the future. The students are also able to see the opportunities available right here at home, Picone said.
“At their age, they don’t know what kind of jobs are out there, what kind of careers are out there, so this is just the first step in them learning what’s out in our community. ‘What can I be when I grow up?’” she said. “It has surpassed my expectations. We had so much help from the community this year, and it has really just elevated it to a new level.”