Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
Choosing a career path is probably one of the most challenging decisions that junior and senior high school students must make in their lifetimes.
When students begin to narrow their areas of interest, this begins to influence the college and training institutions that they consider attending after graduation. Many times students select a career path through their experiences in extracurricular and cocurricular programs.
These organizations – such as our Robotics Clubs – provide experiences that can greatly influence college and career choices. Students also discover through summer and after-school work experiences their likes and dislikes when it comes to a daily work lifestyle.
We are fortunate to have a large number of employers on the Southside who provide internships for our students.
In addition, our Central Nine Career Center offers classes in such areas as engineering, horticulture and computer-aided design.
I am extremely proud of our high schools and their determination to conduct experiences for students that give them opportunities to participate in activities that they may have never considered. The counseling departments strive to provide support for our students as they apply to colleges and make some key decisions about their year after high school.
One example of this emphasis was seen at the Southport High School career fair, which is growing by leaps and bounds. Nearly 300 students talked with people representing a wide range of careers.
Briana Underwood, one of our high school counselors, told us that last year we had 36 presenters, who represented 31 companies, and 136 students in attendance. This year the number of presenters numbered 73, and they represented 53 companies. The number of students increased to 286.
Mrs. Underwood enthusiastically tells us that developing partnerships with many companies not only exposes our students to the types of careers that exist but opens the doors of the high school to showcase the talents and the quality of our students.
One of the most significant aspects of the event was that the vast majority of employers who participated graduated from Southport. This was similar to a second homecoming for our presenters. Students could talk to people who had walked the halls of their school.
The Southside is a great place to live, to go to school and to work.