PETERS TOWNSHIP
SCHOOL DISTRICT
CAREER EXPLORATION AT MCMURRAY ELEMENTARY eters Township
PETERS TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Visitors to our school bring an increased level of excitement for our students and staff , and Career Day at McMurray Elementary is no exception . Each year , School Counselor Jamie Recker organizes a full morning of guest speakers from a variety of careers .
Most guest speakers are current or former parents at the school , or community members who have been consistent favorites with the students . More than 20 professions were part of the presentations this year ranging from computer programmers to Air Force pilots and from health coaches to pharmacists .
“ We have a talented pool of parents who are generous with their time ,” said Principal Blair Stoehr . In addition to a rundown of a typical day on the job , guests share general information about their careers during the 30-minute rotations , along with what training and education they needed to prepare them for success .
While it seems like 4th and 5th grade is young for this type of discussion , the goal of the Career Day is more about sparking interest and exposing our students to the diverse options that are available to them in the workplace .
“ When I was a student , I would have loved someone to educate me on the options of different careers ,” said Jodi Ripepi , Women ’ s Health / Adult Health Nurse Practitioner who was one of the speakers . “ It seemed like girls back then mostly became nurses or teachers . Now the options are infinite .”
Knowing what professions they would hear from during the rotations , students prepared questions in advance and also wrote reflections following the event .
“ We ’ re encouraging them to think beyond the professions they know – what their parents do , teachers , sports figures and what they see on television ,” said Recker . “ It won ’ t be long before they are able to select elective courses to help guide their career plans , and we want them to know there is no limit on their futures .”
The questions asked by students showed they were linking their interests with potential careers . During his talk about engineering , Eric Dahl had a student ask if he played with Legos as a child . It turns out that he did , and the student followed up by asking if he thought that helped his career .
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Part of the career discussions also included some hands on activities .
“ I thought for a moment and told him that I thought being creative and asking ‘ why ’ would serve him well in an engineering career and that if he continued to do those things , then playing with Legos was a good idea ,” said Dahl , who is a Principal Engineer at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory - Bettis Site .
For many of our presenters , taking part in Career Day was a chance to give back to our community .
“ We are both passionate about serving in the Air Force ,” said Lt . Col . Meredith Camilletti , U . S . Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer who took part along with her pilot husband , Colonel ( Retired ) Jason Camilletti . “ It ’ s afforded us opportunities that we couldn ’ t have gotten anywhere else . We wanted to share this with the students .”
As students progress from McMurray to Middle and High School , career exploration gets more in depth with additional