
During
a
traditional
school
year,
career
day
at
elementary
schools
would
consist
of
parents
and
community
members
visiting
schools
to
present
to
students.
This
school
year,
with
the
pandemic
safety
measures
in
place,
school
counselors
at
Marshall,
Tyler,
Haymarket,
Ashland,
and
Minnieville
Elementary
Schools
teamed
up
to
create
a
virtual
career
day.
The
schools
solicited
family,
friends,
and
members
of
the
community
to
submit
videos
sharing
details
about
their
careers.
Members
of
the
Student
Council
Association
(SCA)
at
Haymarket
Elementary
conducted
interviews
using
Zoom.
"As
a
way
to
develop
student
leadership
and
career
skills,
we
reached
out
to
our
SCA
students,
and
they
came
up
with
the
questions
to
ask
each
professional.
The
students
proved
to
be
very
insightful
and
thoughtful
with
their
questions,"
explained
Robin
Schenck,
school
counselor
at
Haymarket
Elementary.
While
watching
the
interview
with
race
car
driver
Raechel
Katz,
which
included
a
clip
of
her
racing,
a
student
in
Jennifer
Davis'
third-grade
class
at
Marshall
Elementary,
exclaimed,
"Whoa,
that's
fast."
Katz
also
shared
the
skills
it
takes
to
succeed
and
the
challenges
she
faces
in
the
sport.
Fifteen
different
careers
were
represented
in
the
videos.
"Introducing
careers
to
elementary
students
provides
them
an
opportunity
to
learn
about
the
many
different
options
they
have
out
there
for
their
future.
It
allows
them
to
explore
different
avenues,
learn
about
career
clusters,
career
interests,
and
gives
them
a
solid
foundation
for
pursuing
their
interests
as
they
choose
specialty
programs
in
middle
and
high
school,"
explained
Pandita
Gerdy,
Marshall's
school
counselor.
Gerdy's
husband,
a
firefighter
in
Washington,
D.C.,
submitted
a
video
showing
students
around
the
fire
station,
but
on
their
virtual
career
day,
the
Marshall
students
were
treated
to
a
surprise
visit
by
Prince
William
County
firefighters.
During
the
outside
presentation,
the
crews
shared
details
about
their
job,
the
protective
gear
they
wear,
and
much
to
the
delight
of
the
students,
the
firefighters
brought
a
fire
engine,
tanker
truck,
and
a
rescue
unit
to
display.
With
a
laptop
in
hand,
Shayna
Russo,
a
fourth-grade
teacher,
shared
the
experience
with
her
virtual
students
attending
class
on
Zoom.
Ashland
Elementary
hosted
a
full
week
of
exploring
careers.
"We
ran
a
career
week
where
we
focused
our
lessons
on
careers
as
well
as
showed
some
of
the
videos
we
received
from
parents.
We
were
happy
to
help
contribute,"
shared
Sarah
Leclercq,
school
counselor
at
the
school.
The
videos
of
the
variety
of
careers
engaged
students
and
piqued
their
interest.
Molly
Moomau,
school
counselor
at
Tyler
Elementary,
said,
"My
hope
is
that,
through
comprehensive
school
counseling
programs,
our
students
have
received
a
thorough
career
education
beginning
in
kindergarten
to
help
them
make
the
best
choices
for
themselves.
Career
day
is
a
great
way
to
introduce
careers
to
students
and
get
parents
and
the
community
involved."
The
Nokesville
School
also
hosted
a
virtual
career
day.
School
counselor,
Kelly
Kaczmarczyk,
explained
that
teachers
were
"sent
links
for
activities
and
resources
to
investigate
the
world
of
work
to
make
informed
career
decisions.
The
objectives
varied
from
grade
level
to
grade
level
and
students
will
have
the
opportunity
to
identify
their
strengths
further,
explore
hobbies
and
interests,
and
learn
about
post-secondary
options."