LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School students, many of whom are faced with the task of deciding what subjects and curriculum to choose for their re-enrollment, were given an opportunity to have some questions answered as the school presented its annual
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School students, many of whom are faced with the task of deciding what subjects and curriculum to choose for their re-enrollment, were given an opportunity to have some questions answered as the school presented its annual Career Day in the gymnasium on Tuesday.
Armed with a questionnaire geared towards having the students discover their personal strengths and areas needing improvement, the students browsed through the offerings of 38 exhibitors at the event, including several student offerings for programs within the school itself.
“This is geared towards interaction,” said Pam McMillan, teacher coordinator. “Students are able to see that what they do in school will directly impact success in the workplace.”
The questionnaire, one of the primary tools for the student, measures areas of interpersonal skills, self-esteem and confidence, and personal traits. Students took these questionnaires and discussed them with the various representatives of the organizations present for the Career Day.
Themed after “The Wizard of Oz,” students followed the yellow brick road while following their hearts, with an abundance of student counselors available to help them stay on the path to success.
McMillan said the exhibitors were selected on the basis of their being locally oriented, demonstrating to the students that they can be happy while making competitive salaries here on Kaua‘i.
One of these firms was Big Save, Inc., whose offering spanned not only the familiar retail market, but sister operations like Kaua‘i Kookie Kompany.
This was not your usual “we have a job, here’s an application” affair, as students asked questions pertaining to their “career path” while continuing their education.
Kaua‘i Community College, with its diverse offering of educational options, was one of the big draws, students stopping at the automotive section of the booth, enticed not only by a video of Kaua‘i drag racing, but also by a working canister of NOX (nitrous oxide), a device that gives race drivers an extra boost of horsepower.
School counselors were also enlightened by the offerings of the exhibitors, one noting that she did not know that The Home Depot, one of the presenters, has a program in force that would help a young employee finance higher education, with the aim of raising that employee’s standard of employment once they become part of the Home Depot family.
Likewise, similar programs by the Workforce Development piqued the interest of counselors who saw the benefit for students in lower-income brackets who needed means of financing higher education.
On-campus programs that were represented included the various academies that are part of the school’s career-path program, including the Academy of Health for students desiring to pursue a career in that field, or the Academy of Travel and Tourism (AOTT), which will become part of the Academy of Business for students wishing to go that route.
Students in the AOTT, already exhausted from a day-long experience on Monday’s National Groundhog Job Shadow Day program off-campus, mingled through the student throngs in hopes of answering questions or soliciting future students for their respective programs.
And, for those who became disoriented on this journey along the yellow brick road, there were always the grade counselors to help students find the ruby slippers.
Sports Editor Dennis Fujimoto may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or mailto:dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
