K.William Harvey girls explore careers
Megan Strickland
Registered nurse Andrea Ruhman demonstrates how to take blood pressure at a K.William Harvey Career Fair.
Megan Strickland
Registered nurse Andrea Ruhman demonstrates how to take blood pressure at a K.William Harvey Career Fair.
Megan Strickland
KPAX anchor Jill Valley shows her camera and answers questions about being a broadcaster.
Megan Strickland
KPAX anchor Jill Valley shows her camera and answers questions about being a broadcaster.
Megan Strickland
KPAX anchor Jill Valley shows her camera and answers questions about being a broadcaster.
Megan Strickland
KPAX anchor Jill Valley shows her camera and answers questions about being a broadcaster.
Megan Strickland
A girl folds an index card of questions about careers at K. William Harvey Elementary School.
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RONAN – The words “career fair” are usually associated with audiences of teenagers and adults, but K. William Harvey Dean of Students Carey Swanberg tried to change that stereotype last week as the school hosted its first career fair for elementary students.
Approximately 70 third and fourth grade girls were matched with professional women from the community who work in fields of interest to the students.
“The community response was phenomenal,” Swanberg said of the 13 volunteers who offered to take time off from work to talk with the third and fourth grade students. “They all just said ‘Ok. I’ll drop my plans and be there.’”
As the girls made rounds, interesting questions popped up for the presenters. What’s the hardest part of being a veterinarian? Do television broadcasters have to go college? How are doctors and nurses different? How long do doctors have to go to school?
“One said that she didn’t think she could go to college because it was expensive,” Community Bank president Brenda Dennis said. Dennis let the girl know that there were financial aid opportunities available.
“I think it is just great,” Dennis said. “I think mentoring kids is one of the strongest things you can do to get them to look outward at what they can do — to dream.”
T-shirts were given to the presenters and children as a motivator. Swanberg thanked the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation for a $900 grant that made the program possible and Lindsey Myers of Image Quest for offering a discount on t-shirts.
Counselor Tammy Young counted the fair as a success.
“We hope it will plant a seed in their minds,” Young said.
