The Career Connections program for fifth- and sixth-grade students at Churchville-Chili Middle School brings them together with community experts from a wide variety of fields. The program, which began in 2015, has introduced hundreds of young people to potential in-demand professions. This school year alone, workshops are featuring visitors from advanced manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, engineering, robotics and computer programming, law and public safety, the arts, and mapping technologies. In February, the career topic was renewable energy and sustainability.
The school’s enrichment team – Andrea Lynch, Shannon Barton, Patti Saucke, and Stephanie Ricci – coordinates each event. Students complete an initial interest survey which helps determine the sessions they attend. Fifth-graders join the morning session; sixth-graders participate in the afternoon. Each group visits six hands-on education centers, each highlighting a different aspect of the field. Presenters on February 16 included Rochester Institute of Technology’s Environmental Education Specialist Kaeti Stoss, who offered experiences in recycling and plastic pollution; and sustainability doctoral candidates Yvan Hernandez and Harshal Kansara, who spoke about pollution and biodegradable agricultural plastics.
Waste Management’s Nicole Simonetti demonstrated methane gas production and control in landfills; Justin Rowley and Laurie Picardo from RG&E discussed hydroelectric power; enrichment team members helped students understand renewable wind energy and create their own wind turbines; and Middle School librarian Julia Loson encouraged students to use cardboard and Makedo® tools to see that raw materials can be reused and repurposed.
Career Connections is an integral part of preparing district students for the future by familiarizing them with different career paths. Community experts interested in participating as guest speakers are invited to contact Lynch (alynch@cccsd.org) or Ricci (sricci@cccsd.org).
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