A new program at Chagrin Falls Middle School may help students find the answer to the old question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
The Middle School Career Speakers Program will bring professionals from all walks of life to talk about their careers during the second half of students’ lunch periods. Each speaker will give a general description of the job, describe a typical day or week, talk about the education, training, and skills needed, and share about his or her own career path and reasons for choosing it.
The program kicked off with John Updyke, a 1982 Chagrin Falls High School graduate and state qualifier in wrestling. Now owner of Mad Jack’s Grill & Pub in Aurora, he spoke to the students about careers in the restaurant and hospitality business.
All seventh and eighth grade students will be able to hear each speaker. This is a change from previous Career Day programs, which brought various speakers to the school for one day, scattered among several classrooms. Students chose which speakers to hear, but many were disappointed because they could not see everyone they wanted.
Instead, the new speakers program will be an ongoing program, with speakers scheduled every few weeks throughout the school year.
“We want to give them some exposure to occupations they might not necessarily have thought would interest them, so they would not have signed up for an “out of my box” speaker,” said David Wessel, Chagrin Falls Middle School principal. “Our hope is to allow everyone the opportunity to listen to all of our speakers this year, and that someone sparks an interest for them.”
This story is brought to you by Chagrin Falls School Sponsor New Direction Photography.
