Bournedale Hosts Career Fair, Creates 'Vision Of A Graduate'
Bournedale Elementary School hosted a career fair for its 2nd grade students last Friday, March 29, that was attended by more than 100 students, families, community members, and school and local officials from the Bourne Public Schools community and beyond.
News of the career fair was shared in a news release from the school district. A total of 115 2nd grade students participated, it said, partnering with Bourne High School student interns to choose a career field to learn more about and represent at the fair. The fair featured 44 career tables hosted by BHS interns and Bournedale's 2nd graders. Career areas that students chose included public safety, education, communication, business, life science, design, philanthropy, athletic training, real estate, healthcare and sports marketing/management.
Visitors at the career fair were given a list of field-specific questions prepared by each student to prompt a conversation, the release said. Second graders and BHS interns put together slideshow presentations and provided visitors with handouts and materials to take home about the career path of their choice.
"Today's career fair showcased an array of professions, providing our students with invaluable insights into potential career paths," Bournedale Principal Liz Carpenito said in the district's announcement. "Events like these empower our students with the tools and resources needed to make informed decisions about their future, while allowing them to explore their passions and aspirations."
The career fair event was created to follow a Career Hop event for Bournedale's 2nd graders, hosted last December by BHS interns. During the Career Hop, high school interns provided information about their various internships to the younger students to help them learn and understand the different careers and professions the interns are working in. After the Career Hop's success, the district said, the 2nd grade student council expressed interest in holding the career fair as a way for their peers to learn more about their potential future career paths and to engage with community members.
Last week's career fair correlates with the 2nd grade reading unit on careers, offering students a creative way to practice English language arts (ELA) standards in speaking, listening, reading, writing and research. The event provided a hands-on learning experience for students, deepening their interest and expanding their communication skills.
Also announced in the district's news release was the final product of the Vision of a Graduate initiative.
While planning the career fair and discussing the keys to future success, Bournedale students had come up with the idea of creating their own "Vision of a Graduate" for their school, the district said. Students identified several skills and attributes they would need to have gained in order to position themselves for success before moving on from Bournedale Elementary School and, with feedback from students, staff and caregivers, Bournedale's Vision of a Graduate was created.
Bournedale's Vision of a Graduate reads as follows:
"In order to be a good student and person, I: will be respectful, be responsible, be safe; will be kind and understand other kids' feelings; will work hard and know I CAN DO IT!. In order to be successful when I get older, I: will be able to solve problems; will work well with others; will be kind and understand other kids' feelings. At Bournedale, I will learn: to make a lot of friends; how important it is to graduate high school, go to college, have a job; to be creative, think hard, and get along with people."
Bournedale's 2nd grade students, the district said, plan to follow the Vision of a Graduate guidelines to organize events, such as the career fair, in the future.