SMS students explore potential careers

The Flathead County SWAT team was

stationed at Somers Middle School on Friday, but it wasn’t for an

emergency situation.

SWAT was one of several careers

represented at the schools’ annual Career Day.

Students in seventh and eighth grade

got to attend five different sessions in the course of the morning

with representatives from a range of careers. Present were a

novelist, photographer, animal control officer, architect,

engineer, movie producer, EMT, massage therapist and several

others.

Counselor Brittany Katzer, who

organizes Career Day, said the experience not only helps students

find their interests but also guides them as they start making

decisions about their educations.

“I think it’s important for kids to get

to see how everything they are doing in the classroom right now

relates to their future,” she said. “Every single speaker

regardless of whether they had a college education encouraged kids

to get their degree because in this environment no matter what

you’re going to do it’s going to help you.”

Career Day’s timing is especially

relevant for eighth graders, who are registering for their high

school classes by today. By getting more information about a career

field they are interested in, the students are able to sign up for

classes to help get them there, Katzer said.

In each session, students were required

to write down information on the required preparations for the

career, the skills needed, the presenter’s favorite aspect of his

or her career, the job outlook and a few interesting facts. Katzer

said teachers noticed that students seemed to be engaged with the

speakers.

“It’s different than teaching because

the kids want to be here and learn,” she said.

The visual aids probably also helped

with students’ attention. Presenters brought in more hands-on aids

to help students understand what they do this year, Katzer

said.

Examples included equipment used by the

border patrol, breads and cookies from the baker, and vehicles from

the quick response unit, border patrol and Flathead County

Sheriff’s Office. Representatives from Soucie & Soucie Hair

Design styled the students’ hair and did their nails in their

sessions.

“They were really able to capture their

attention and engage them,” Katzer said.

Following the sessions and a break for

lunch, students took a strong interest test to help identify

careers that suit their interests and skills.

Seventh grader Brendan Wild said his

favorite session was with the SWAT team. His family has a history

of working in law enforcement, and he said Career Day helped him

learn more about that path.

“It’s good because it gives kids the

opportunity to think about what you want to be when you grow up,”

he said. “It gave me more information about it.”

Eighth grader Janae Barron said she

enjoyed the session with novelist Dennis Foley.

“Writing is my favorite subject,” she

said. “He went into how important it is to know your subject and to

get to know people from the world.”

Barron said she saw Career Day as a

valuable resource in thinking about what she’ll do when she grows

up.

“It really gives me an opportunity to

see what the world has to offer and what I can do with my life in

the future,” she said. “I learned that I can do anything I want to

if I put my mind to it.”