Thornapple Kellogg —Page Elementary School students listened to two hairstylists present about what their jobs are like, and fifth-grader Joseph Webster asked an important question.
“Do you get holidays off, like Christmas and Halloween?” he asked.
Haley Gardner, a former Page Elementary fifth-grader and class of 2016 graduate, explained that as a hairstylist at Lox Salon, she gets to make her own schedule.
Gardner said even as a fifth-grader, she knew she wanted to be a hairstylist, “so after I graduated, I went right to hair school,” she said. “I remember my career day and learning about jobs I didn’t even know existed.”
Another student asked what skills she and fellow stylist Lauren Wolfenbarger learned in school that helped them in their careers.
“We use the color wheel, like you learn in art class, all the time to manipulate color for each person’s hair,” Wolfenbarger said.
Seeing the Possibilities
Career day at Page Elementary is an annual event for fifth-graders to learn from community members and TK alumni what a day at their jobs are like, what education they needed and why they chose their professions.
Over two days recently, 19 classrooms hosted professionals from many career paths, intentionally featuring careers that require a college degree or specialized training.
Students chose three sessions to attend and carried a packet to fill out based on what they learned. They also came up with a list of questions to ask each presenter about their jobs.
Presenters included a meteorologist from Fox 17 television news, a veterinarian, an orthodontist, a firefighter, an accountant and a construction superintendent.
In Laura DeWitt’s classroom, 2012 grad James Vannette told students how career day helped lead him to an Army career.
Mike Schipper, Barry County District Court judge and 1981 grad, said he has come back to his former school for career day for several years.
“When I was a student, I didn’t see lawyers in Middleville, so I didn’t think it was a possibility for me,” he said. “Career day is important because it introduces students to new possibilities and teaches them that they can do anything.”
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