Lyme 8th Grade Career Exploration in the Upper Valley
On Tuesday, April 2, 450 eighth grade students from twelve schools shadowed different careers in our Upper Valley community. Careers CLiC helps coordinate Job Shadow Day for: Chelsea Public School, Cornish Elementary School, Crossroads Academy, Hartland
Elementary School, Indian River School, Lebanon Middle School, Lyme School, Oxbow High School, Plainfield Elementary School, Rivendell Academy, Thetford Academy and Tunbridge Central School. Job Shadowing enables youth to observe workplace hosts as they go through a day on the job. Business volunteers provide an opportunity for students to see how skills taught in the classroom are applied beyond school walls. Students gain insight on careers they may want to learn more about.
I had the opportunity to visit a couple of job shadow sites. Students who shadowed at The Dartmouth Computer Store had the opportunity to learn about tech repair, service, and sales. They also had some time right before lunch to do some coding using SKRATCH.
At Mascoma Bank, students toured different departments, learned about many positions (marketing, retail, software development, wealth management, security, and HR).
Students at the VA in the nursing/occupational therapy department had the chance to observe registered nurses, licensed nurse assistants and OTs provide care to those who have served our country in different branches of the military.
With the Norwich Police Department, students had the chance to ride along with an officer, use a violation database and dispatch, and learn about legal processes when working with people.
Prime Subaru was a place where students learned about automobile sales, customer service, repairs, and business development.
Students at Novo Nordisk observed operations in labs, medicinal productions, and how science and math are used in the biomedical field.
Students at Northern Stage learned about the skills and tasks necessary to successfully put on stage productions and how a nonprofit performing arts organization operates. Students toured the facility, played theatre games, and watched a portion of a current production.
Dartmouth Media Productions student shadowers had the chance to try out their editing skills and learned about different software and A/V programs.
Students who shadowed Dartmouth Athletics Communications got some exposure to athletic coverage in a variety of mediums - digital media/advertising and broadcasting through audio/visual.
Students at Hanover Veterinary Clinic students observed dental procedures and aided in the recovery process which included lots of TLC :-)
Nearly 100 employers supported this program by welcoming students into their workplaces. Hosts planned hands-on activities, lead tours and demonstrations to show students what it takes to be successful in their career field. Careers CLiC is a nonprofit organization serving schools in New Hampshire and Vermont. Careers CLiC programs link schools with employers and provides career development for students and professional training for educators.To learn more, call Careers CLiC at 603-643-3431 x2902 or email info@careersclic.org.
We are so fortunate to have this program accessible to our students as they continue on their journey through the constellations of careers. Also! A HUGE thank you to our 8th grade parents and Lyme Staff for helping to transport students to their sites - so grateful - YOU ROCK :-)