Students make the front page during HMS career fair

HAMILTON — The Journal-Record was invited to the Hamilton Middle School Career Fair, held on Tuesday, April 28. Advertising Manager Erin Williams and I attended.
How can we show what we do at the newspaper? The idea was to bring our computers, and I would show the students how the newspaper is designed in layouts, while Erin showed how ads are created.
While getting ready for the event, the idea occurred to me to have a camera, design a false front page of the newspaper and take pictures of the kids right then. The pictures were then added to the “front” page of the newspaper while Erin talked to them or showed them how to build an ad.
We must say the students, and the teachers, loved the idea. In fact, we were surprised as one student’s name seemed familiar to me. As we were showing his photo on the front page, we realized he would already be on the front page of the paper published the next day in the “15th Annual Pine Hills & Oak Hollars Child’s Classic.”
“I think it’s good opportunities for the kids to see the paper is more than writing,” Erin said. “It’s graphic design and English. I had a good time.”
Approximately 200 students, seventh and eighth graders, visited the fair. The eighth graders also participated in the ACCS Career Tech Simulation Truck.
"There is a special kind of magic that happens when a student moves from reading about a career to experiencing it firsthand,” Marion County Schools Career Coach Carmin Nichols stated. “At Hamilton Middle School, we believe early exposure is the spark that ignites a student's future ambition.
“We want to extend our sincerest thanks to all the businesses that joined us—from the healthcare professionals at North Mississippi Medical Center to the team at the Journal-Record, who gave students a fascinating look at the live editing process. These hands-on opportunities are invaluable, and we appreciate our local partners for investing so much energy into making this such a fun and educational day.
“We would love to add more local businesses and industries to our contact base. If you are interested in joining the Marion County Career Coaches in helping bridge the gap from school to career, please reach out to us. We would love to discuss ways we can work together to inspire the next generation!"
Carmin also explained how an event like this happens and all involved in the process.
“Before reaching out to vendors, the organizers (like the Marion County career coaches) define what they want students to walk away with,” she said. “For middle schoolers, the focus is usually on career awareness—opening their eyes to jobs they didn't know existed—rather than specific job training.”
Organizers then reached out to local businesses, such as public service, higher education, utilities and finance. The room had to then be mapped out to provide a good traffic flow and for things such as power requirements.
During the day of the event, organizers set up a hospitality room to provide water and snacks to businesses attending. There is also a strict schedule followed to ensure equal time to students.
“The event doesn’t end when the booths are packed up,” Carmin continued. “This is where your call to action comes in.”
She noted a ‘bridge’ is built by sending thank you notes to attending businesses; asking businesses if they’d be open to job shadowing, mock interview experiences or classroom speaking in the future; and sharing the success to show the community and parents the value of the program.
“The students had a fantastic time, and they loved seeing the work that goes into the newspaper appearing in their mailbox,” Carmin added “We have a lot of students who love writing and probably never realized there could be a job for them doing what they love in our area.”
Other businesses at the fair were Alabama Community College System, Air Evac Lifeteam, Bevill State Community College, Edward Jones, Encore Rehabilitation Inc., First National Bank, Hamilton Family Chiropractic Clinic, Hamilton Fire Department, Hamilton Housing Authority, Hamilton Police Department, Hamilton Water Department, Listerhill Credit Union, North Mississippi Medical Center, Pawsitive Results Training LLC and Tombigbee Electric Cooperative.
For more information, contact the career coaches by e-mail: Carmin Nichols, cnichols@mcbe.net; Lindsey Oliver, loliver@mcbe.net; and     Oakley Durham, odurham@mcbe.net.