HPE Showcases A World of Careers
“You don’t put a screwdriver into a wall (socket)!!”
This was one of a number of statements from Ms. Johnson’s Grade Four students when Electrician and Armstrong City Councillor Jesse Valstar asked the question, “What do you know about electricity?” In fact, there were dozens of very good questions asked by Highland Park Elementary (HPE) students to nearly twenty presenters at its first ever Career Fair.
The HPE Administrative team of Shelly Cull and Duncan Hazelwood wanted to have an event to address building more career awareness among its Grade K-5 students as part of its School Improvement Plan. So, they decided to partner with SD83 Careers to work on this elaborate show-and-tell event.
Many community members and Armstrong parents participated in the morning-long event as the 18-or-so speakers rotated between classes for 10-15 minutes segments. Parents represented many different careers from different fields: The care economy saw a Nurse, an MRT, Esthetician and a Vet Tech; The trades and outdoor careers were represented by a Carpenter, Electrician, Iron Worker, Truck Operator and Powerline Technician; Academic pursuits saw a Mechanical Engineer, City Planner, Finance/Human Resource specialists, Marketer and Managers of long term care facilities and the IPE; Finally, no elementary visit would be complete without a visit from a respirator-breathing, axe-carrying firefighter and their firetruck, albeit the truck needed to arrive later in the day because of the cool temperatures.
During their visits, many of the presenters showed of their wares to the students and answered questions about their work, what they do, where and when they do it and why they like it. Many teachers prepared the students well not just with potential questions to ask the adults but with work sheets and graphic organizers so students captured notes for potential future project work.
If you curious about more potential career pathways and exploratory sessions involving our schools or you would be interested in sharing your work passions with students very young to much older, please reach out to SD83 Career Education Coordinator George Richard via phone or text at 778-824-1188 or email grichard at sd83.bc.ca.