DHS principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez forwards this note regarding next week’s DHS Career Awareness Week.

Our Career and Technology Department has spent a lot of time and energy educating our students about the careers and experiences that await them after high school. Next week, the department is hosting our annual Career Awareness Week. Many parents and community members will take part in the events, explaining their career and the training it took to accomplish success in their given field. Please see the events below. The community is welcome to participate, and is in fact, critical to the success of this experience. Please contact Mr. Duane Sprull at [email protected] if you are able to participate.

At the very least, expect to see our students Monday afternoon scouring the city for businesses who are participating in a Scavenger Hunt. If you see teenagers who look lost, please offer your guidance!

I helped organized something like this in college.  While obviously nothing can replace the value of a good, well-rounded education, many students leave high school and college with little idea with what they want to do (unless they’re premed)…in large part because they don’t know what’s out there.  Events like this go a long way in helping to close that massive gap.

The five day schedule can be found after the jump!

Career Awareness Week

_____ Monday, February 2, 2009 Sophomore Job Shadowing Experience
Scavenger Hunt

The Job Shadowing experience will provide sophomore students the opportunity to
spend a day following a professional in the student’s field of interest. The student
will be excused from school for this opportunity.

The Scavenger Hunt will allow juniors and seniors to work as a team as they use
clues to retrieve business cards from Downtown Decatur. This activity will take
place Monday-Thursday from 3:32pm-5:00pm. Businesses that participate will
only have to provide students with business cards. To limit the number of students
that will be in and out of business, there will be a limit of twelve teams of 4-5
students that are permitted to participate in the competition.

_____ Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Decatur High School CTAE Open House
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

The Career, Technical and Agriculture Education (CTAE) Open House will
provide parents, students, business and industry, and community members the
opportunity learn more about the programs offered at Decatur High School. The
CTAE Advisory Committee will meet from 6:00-6:30pm. Stakeholders will be
provided the opportunity to join the Advisory Committee at the end of the meeting.
The program will move to the classrooms, where stakeholders can go from class to
class to hear from the instructors and see student projects.

_____ Wednesday, February 4, 2009 Career Awareness Day 9:00am-3:00pm

Career Awareness Day will connect the entire Decatur community directly to the
high school. Parents, as well as community members, are asked to come into our
classroom and discuss their careers with students. Presenters are asked to speak in
30-minute segments and are welcomed to make a single presentation or stay with
us for the entire day. The best effort will be made to match your career field with
the appropriate course.

_____ Thursday, February 5, 2009 College & Career Fair 12:00pm-3:00pm

The College & Career Fair will bring the library and halls to life with employers
and institutions of higher learning. The goal is to expose younger students to
careers and colleges. Upper classmen will gain employment leads and potential
work-based learning placements. Having the fair during the school day will allow
nearly 800 students exposure to these opportunities.

_____ Friday, February 6, 2009 Career Week Wrap-up Ice Cream Social
4:00pm-5:00pm Scavenger Hunt Drawing

The Ice Cream Social will be a time for students to mingle with any of our adult
participants who wish return on Friday afternoon. The Junior-Senior Scavenger
Hunt drawing for the winning team and presentation of the awards will be done
during this time.