Elon Elementary School welcomed 75 professionals from the community for its first-ever Career Day on Friday, March 7th. The event provided students with valuable exposure to a wide variety of career paths and reinforced the importance of the skills they're learning now for their future success.
"Our goals for this event were to inspire kids to explore all of their options, build awareness that the skills they're learning in elementary school are essential in any job, and provide students with real-life role models who have pursued their passion," explained event co-organizers Brandy Jo Brehm and Holly Herring.
Throughout the morning, students participated in five rotating sessions, visiting professionals stationed across the campus. The school was transformed into a career exploration zone with presenters occupying classrooms, the gymnasium, cafeteria, and even outdoor spaces where emergency vehicles were on display.
The impressive roster of presenters represented diverse career fields including healthcare, law enforcement, education, business, trades, arts, engineering, and public service. Students had the opportunity to learn from firefighters, nurses, therapists, attorneys, musicians, authors, chefs, police officers and K9 handlers, real estate agents, construction professionals, and many more.
Career Day began with a whole-school assembly at 8:30 a.m. that featured an exciting parade of volunteers entering to upbeat music and enthusiastic applause from students. Each presenter took a moment to introduce themselves before the crowd, creating an engaging start to the day. Following this energetic kick-off, students participated in five 20-minute sessions where presenters shared their educational background, job responsibilities, and how elementary school skills translate to workplace success. Presenters also answered students' questions and, in many cases, brought visual aids and small tokens for students to take home.
"What made this event particularly special was not just the tremendous community turnout, but also our students' exemplary participation and focus on their future career aspirations," noted Principal Cara Hurdle. "I'm incredibly grateful to all our community volunteers who took time from their busy schedules to invest in our children's futures. And I couldn't be more proud of both our students, who represented our school so well with their respectful engagement, and our staff, who worked tirelessly to ensure this day ran smoothly. This truly was a team effort that showcased the best of Elon Elementary."
The event's success was also attributed to the school staff's coordination. Teachers and staff members were strategically positioned throughout the building with walkie-talkies, ensuring smooth transitions between sessions and providing support to presenters.
Career Day concluded with a special luncheon for the presenters, donated by area restaurants, as a token of appreciation for their time and dedication to inspiring Elon's students. Thank you to Lowes Foods, Food Lion @ Whitsett, The Hive Coffee Shop in Gibsonville, La Casa Dorada, Renos Pizza, Happy Garden, Chili's Bar and Grill, Tickle My Ribs BBQ, Texas Roadhouse, and Powerline Church for providing food for our volunteers.
The school plans to make Career Day an annual event, building on this year's success to provide even more career exploration opportunities for students in the future.
