YOUNG STUDENTS GET A LOOK AT FUTURE CAREERS

"When I grow up, I want to be a teacher," said Nicole Williams, fifth grade.

"I really want to be a fireman so I can help people," said Lawrence Kenkel, fourth grade.

"I can't decide if I want to be a pediatrician or a veterinarian," said Amy Gibson, sixth grade.

These students actually had the opportunity to learn all about their future careers during Tuesday's vocational fair at Jefferson Elementary.

"We feel like it is never too soon to start thinking about careers," said school counselor Betty Deardorf. "It's a good idea for the students to start getting ideas about what they really like or don't like at all."

Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students were allowed to choose one career for each of the three sessions. Nearly 30 careers were represented at the fair, ranging from doctors and lawyers to welders and factory workers. The most popular sessions dealt with computer programming and data processing.

"This is the first time we've tried this and it's turned out fabulous," Deardorf said. "The community has been very supportive." Deardorf said it's the only job fair in the area for elementary students.

"This is really a motivating experience for the students," Deardorf said. "They realize early that they cannot mess around in school and then hope to go into a vocation where they need to have certain study skills."

Most of the students found the vocational fair interesting and helpful, even if they haven't decided which career path to take."

"Some of us are going into the seventh grade and we need to have a goal so that we know what classes to take," said Katherine Reed.

Although the students have at least six years before they graduate from high school, Deardorf said she believes this is a time when some will make their decisions about their career.

"Some will change their mind, but I've had a lot of professionals here tell me that this is the age they decided to be what they are today.

Principal Gary Kralemann said the success of the fair shows how important the event was for children in elementary school. "The kids need to think about careers outside those in their immediately family," he said.

For the most part, the 45-minute sessions stayed busy. "You can only talk a few minutes because they have so many questions they want to ask," said attorney James Cochrane. "And they really ask some interesting things."