Children get close-up look at adult world at career fair
By John Joyce
Published in News on April 26, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Trez're Mitchell, 6, looks around inside the jail trailer created by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office during career day at Meadow Lane Elementary School on Thursday. The sheriff's office was encouraging children to stay in school and to avoid costly bad decisions.
The Wayne County Sheriff's office jail trailer made a stop at the 20th annual Career Hobby Fair Thursday at Meadow Lane Elementary School.
More than 40 volunteers from the community stopped by the school to teach young children more about what the real world is like for the adults they look up to.
"The career and hobby fair helps get the children thinking about how things will really be when they grow up and how the choices they make today will come to affect their future," school counselor Michelle Gurley said.
Mrs. Gurley, in her 22nd year at the school, has been a part of the career and hobby fair since its inception two decades ago.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office was just one of several community organizations to stop by the school Wednesday. More volunteers dropped by classrooms Thursday to share what it is they do for a living and why working hard in school is important to one day achieving career goals.
"For people in the community that really have no ties to Meadow Lane to come out and stay all day long, that is amazing," Mrs. Gurley said.
The sheriff's office jail trailer sports larger than life cartoons on the outside, drawing kids near to take a closer look. Inside, however, a full scale jail cell has been constructed to show young people exactly what life is like on the inside.
Jail administrator Maj. Fane Greenfield said several classes came by Wednesday to view the trailer inside and out.
"We've had eight classes come out and see it so far," he said. By the end of the day Wednesday that number would climb to 10.
Firefighters from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base also came out to the school, as did an auto mechanic, a martial arts instructor and a student-parent who also works as a food nutritionist.
"We have used up 250 time slots putting somewhere between 4 to 11 volunteers in each classroom throughout the day," Mrs. Gurley said.
Bringing the professionals into the classroom is much more impactful than having the students go booth to booth if things were set up like a career fair, she said.
"The students get more information this way. The kids get more out of it if the volunteer goes into the classroom than in a fair setting."