Career Day Fair at Elkins Middle School a Major Success

Elkins W. Va., May 17, 2024: Elkins Middle School hosted a Career Day Fair on Thursday, encouraging the students to think about their future. This event had a great turnout from both the middle school students and the diverse number of participants, including city departments, local businesses, educational institutions, and service providers.

“We have invited approximately 33 businesses, educational and service organizations to inspire our middle school students to start thinking about their careers,” stated a schedule for the day from Connie Townsend, School Counselor for Elkins Middle School, who helped put on the event.

“It is our goal for the students to learn how interests, talents, skills, and academics can evolve into success in high school as well as in the workforce,” she continued.

The Career Day Fair featured three sessions, one for each grade, allowing students plenty of time to engage with all the vendors. Participants ranged from artists, banks, lawyers, and restaurants to healthcare providers, colleges, youth health services, and city departments. Each provided information tailored to spark the students’ curiosity and broaden their understanding of various professions.

Other notable vendors included the Kump Education Center, the Sewing Center, Elkins Parks and Recreation, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Civil Air Patrol, and Spruce Mountain Learning Experience. These diverse participants offered students a comprehensive view of the numerous career opportunities available within their community and beyond.

Representing the City of Elkins, attendees included members from City Hall, city councilors, the Mayor of Elkins, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Operations Department, the Street Department, the Sanitation Department, the Water Department, and the Wastewater Department.

These departments provided interactive and educational activities throughout the day. Highlights included trying on firefighter gear, observing a police department drone demonstration, understanding the water purification process, and learning about wastewater and city operations through hands-on equipment.

“I first want to thank the staff from the middle school,” stated Mayor Jerry Marco at that day’s council meeting, “for inviting us, reaching out, and introducing themselves to us. But I want to give a special thanks to Melissa Washington (Director of Human Resources) because she spearheaded the coordination.”

Marco went on to say, “To the city staff that was out there today and all the workers, I mean, you did a tremendous job. You represented us in a fantastic manner, and you know, hats off to you. Thank you so much for that.”

The Elkins Middle School Career Day Fair gave students a chance to see all the possibilities for their future. Because of the success between the school, city, and participants, there are talks of doing more collaborations in the future to involve and engage these young people. By bridging the gap between academics and real-world careers, the fair has planted seeds of ambition and excitement among the next generation of Elkins leaders.