Corinth Elementary Career Day Shows Students 50+ Careers

Corinth Elementary Career Day brought more than 85 local professionals into the school to show over 1,000 young students that their futures can start right here at home. The Corinth School District this week released a recap of the fifth annual event, held Sept. 23, where students in pre-K through fourth grade explored more than 50 career paths at 34 stations set up across the campus.

A ‘Passport to the Future’ at Corinth Elementary Career Day

This year’s Corinth Elementary Career Day carried a passport theme. The Corinth Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) gave every student a passport card to collect stamps as they moved from station to station with their classroom teacher.

“We wanted to make Career Day memorable while showing students that their future can begin right here in Corinth,” said Kelyn Dodd, CES PTO vice president, adding that the goal was also to show students they can one day give back to the community that supports them.

Careers on display included:

• Musician, pottery artist and graphic designer
• Nurse practitioner, pharmacist, optometrist, dentist and physical therapist
• TVA electrical engineer, banker and insurance broker
• Social worker, park ranger, archaeologist and pilot

Outside, the back parking lot was filled with vehicles students could climb into and explore, including road maintenance equipment, ACE Power and ACE Fiber trucks, a Mississippi Highway Patrol vehicle, an ambulance, a fire truck, a police car, a garbage truck and a SWAT truck. The district said the vehicle displays are always a favorite and give students a chance to learn about safety up close.

Hands-On Medical Stations From Magnolia Regional

One of the day’s highlights was a set of medical stations in the gym reserved for fourth graders. School counselor Leslie Hall said Dr. Steve Haywood of Magnolia Regional Health Center brought medical equipment and supplies, along with doctors, interns and medical students, to give students hands-on experience.

According to the district, students practiced CPR, tried out medical simulation devices and even learned how to put a cast on a classmate.

New presenters also stood out this year. Elizabeth Rogers, the PTO’s Career Day chair, said Bill Terry brought guitars for future musicians, while graphic designer Cody Rogers showed young artists that they really can make coloring a career.

Community Volunteers and PTO Make It Happen

School leaders credited the 85 community presenters and more than 20 PTO volunteers for the event’s success. “We could not do this without the many volunteers who give up a day from work to come and be a presenter,” Hall said.

PTO President Jennifer Timbes said visits from local businesses and professionals make careers “feel real and attainable,” noting that a student may meet someone who introduces them to a path they had never considered.

Students also dressed up as their future careers and had their photos made in front of a backdrop with a sign reading, “When I grow up, I want to be…” Hall said that tradition gets conversations going both at home and in the classroom.

Career Lessons Start Long Before the Big Day

Career Day is the capstone of lessons that begin well ahead of time. CES counselors Whitney Works and Leslie Hall visit classrooms to introduce the idea of work and the purpose of a job. Third graders learn to pair their interests with careers, and fourth graders study career clusters and the top job skills, such as communication, organization, teamwork, punctuality and creativity.

“I want my students to get the message that they can do anything and be anything they want,” Hall said.

Kindergarten teacher Sarah Bricker summed up the day as “a joy-filled day of learning” and thanked everyone who presented or helped.

For more education news from the Corinth School District, read about a Corinth High senior named a National Merit Semifinalist and recent enrollment trends in Corinth and Alcorn County schools.

Source: Corinth School District