Over the course of the second semester, the Indiana Area Junior High School counselors have been offering a monthly “Career Showcase” with a focus of making careers relevant to middle school students. These Career Showcases feature a speaker from a particular career pathway, as well as relevant local programs, activities or camps that are available for junior high aged students. In addition, students learn about potential senior high coursework that is related to the respective future pathway.
The idea for the Career Showcases emerged from Joe Perkovich’s “Lunch and Learn” sessions, which he organizes at both the Senior High and Eisenhower Elementary School, where he serves as the librarian/media specialist. Each Career Showcase is advertised on the morning announcements, in roll-up video announcements and in the school counseling office. Interested students must sign up to attend.
School counselors, Cori Anderson and Erica Aiken, provide information about the Career Pathway that is being featured, chosen from among the career clusters that have been identified through the senior high school’s career readiness programming, as well as the recommended coursework the senior high school has already developed for each pathway. Messages are also sent out to the families of the attendees with the information about the speaker, available youth programs, and potential coursework for the represented pathway so they can follow up and make informed decisions.
The school counselors arrange for the speakers. At their most recent Parent Engagement, they invited parents to volunteer. Anyone who is interested in volunteering to showcase a career may reach out to the school counseling office.
The school community is grateful to the following individuals who have presented (or will be presenting) a Career Showcase for junior high students during the 2023-2024 school year.
February - Dr. Waleed Farag - Cybersecurity and GenCyber camp
March - Dr. Patrick Mulvihill - Aviation and Youth in Aviation
March - Dr. Carolyn Princes - Women in STEM and Project GetSTEAM
April - Mr. Tim Orlando - Military and Mechanics and Civil Air Patrol
May - Mr. Nick Juart - Agriculture/Farming and 4H
"Helping students identify their interests and strengths and see their connection to the world is the best part of my job,” noted school counselor, Erica Aiken. “Career education is not only a key component of the role of the school counselor but also very important to our students’ development, especially in the middle years. Our hope, as counselors, is to make those connections easier to see through the career lessons we teach and now through the Career Showcases.”