Northshore Middle Schools Virtual Career Day 2021, which happened virtually on March 17th, drew more than 4000 middle school students attending live online. Mary Drews, a Northshore Schools Foundation Board member, and Sandy Hayes, a Foundation volunteer who also serves on the Northshore School District School Board, led planning for this event. Sandy Hayes also serves as a Northshore School District board member. This 2021 Project was a joint project of the Foundation and the PTA leadership of each participating middle school.
We had 120 speakers sharing their career journeys with more than 4,000 middle school students,” said Mary Drews, who chairs the Foundation’s Skills for Life Committee. “Students had an opportunity to explore an array of different careers and gain the understanding that most career journeys are not straight. It’s those turns that lead us to find our true calling.”
Students who were not able to attend live, or who want to re-watch a session, can access the recordings from Career Day on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. There are some video’s up already, but the rest will come by April 1,
The keynote speech by Brian Williams will also be available at the YouTube site. Williams, who has spoken to more than 250,000 students and documented more than 500,000 acts of kindness, is on a mission to inspire kindness movements in schools across the nation. His message is one that calls students to action and creates measurable change in each school he visits. Even virtually, Williams was able to get students to think outside the box about how they can create a ripple of positivity within their school and community.
Career Day gives students an opportunity to learn what is needed to be successful in different fields and industries. We want students to understand that within any career, many different avenues are possible. Presenters spoke about professions of all kinds, including Game Designer, Screenwriter/Producer, Emergency Room Doctor, Pastry Chef, CFO at Microsoft, Firefighter, Dula, Construction Engineer, Entrepreneur, Fishery Biologist, Physical Therapist, Software Engineer, Financial Planner, and more.
From past surveys, we know that students are eager to hear about all types of jobs,” said Sandy Hayes, who chairs the Foundation’s Career Day Committee.
Northshore parent Claudine Elizabeth volunteered to help with the event.
I had so much fun volunteering as a moderator, and learned a lot about software engineering and computer programming,” she said. “My 6th grader also had a great time, joined two different groups, and especially enjoyed learning more about designing and creating video games. He said that both of the groups that he joined had about 150 kids in each group, and the group that I moderated also had huge turnouts.”
A successful student is one who is well-prepared for life beyond graduation. Foundation initiatives like Career Day aim to help students mature into productive and engaged citizens, whether they go on to post-secondary education, the military, a trade apprenticeship, or other employment.
Foundation donors and our Northshore community help make Skills for Life initiatives like these possible. Very special thanks to all of the presenters and moderators, who volunteered their time, and to Evergreen Karate for sponsoring this event. Career day and all of the Foundation’s work is funded by donations. If you’d like to contribute, we’d be so appreciative. https://northshoreschoolsfoundation.kindful.com
