JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Jasper Middle School (JMS) has once again hosted its annual 7th Grade Career Day, where the students were given the opportunity to learn about various career fields in the workforce.
Sponsored by the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, the event allowed for students the chance to learn about different roles across a range of career fields, with speakers throughout various industries who visited the school to help educate them about the varying industries they work in. Ashley Johnson, CTE (Career and Technical Education) teacher for JMS, explained speakers from Lodge Cast Iron, 104.9 The River, local banks, and other corporations throughout the Tennessee Valley participated to demonstrate each one’s field of work, and the opportunities for growth the different industries can provide.
“The seventh-grade students rotate around to different rooms, and they ask questions, they listen to those speakers, and they take notes,” Johnson said. “It’s a really great opportunity for the students to see what career fields and jobs are out there in the marketplace now.”
The school’s Career Day was established by Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Dave Pestillo, the idea stemming from similar Career Days hosted at schools in Pestillo’s original home state of Connecticut. He explained once relocating to Marion County back in 2019, he immediately began work on wanting to create a Career Day for the county’s school district, the first one held at Whitwell Middle School the same year. Since then, despite taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, three other Career Days are held across all major schools throughout the area, ensuring that all students across the county can catch an insightful glimpse at the current and ever evolving job market.
“We usually have anywhere from 12 to 20 volunteers,” Pestillo said. “The kids really get a lot out of it and they find out things they didn’t know before.”
Pestillo touched on the significance of hosting Career Days within public schools, particularly middle schools. He felt the event helps broaden student’s minds as to what career paths they may want to follow once graduated from high school, planting the seeds for a career goal to pursue while in seventh or eighth grades. Johnson also noted the event’s importance to students within the school, acknowledging how it showcases the job opportunities available to them once graduated and out in the wide world as adults.
“It’s really great for the students to be aware of the careers that are available to them once they become an adult and get out there in the field looking for themselves, as well as how career fields change over time.” Johnson said.