Approximately 100 students from 22 southeast Nebraska high schools participated in the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership’s Big Event held Sept. 28 on Southeast Community College’s Lincoln Campus.
The purpose was to promote and focus on the various career opportunities available to students in the education field and to get them thinking about this career path while still in high school.“We chose to focus on the field of education this year in an effort to encourage and attract more students to give serious consideration to the honorable profession as a lifetime career,” said Dr. Randy Nelson, administrative director of SENCAP/K-12 Connections.
Students from the following schools participated:
Ashland-Greenwood, Bruning-Davenport, Centennial, Crete, Diller-Odell, Dorchester, Fairbury, Freeman, Malcolm, McCool Junction, Mead, Meridian, Milford, Norris, Raymond Central, Seward, Shickley, Thayer Central, Waverly, Wilber-Clatonia, and York.
A number of area educators spoke to the students. Dr. Steve Joel, superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools, delivered the keynote address.
Other presenters were Susan Curry, instructor in SCC’s Early Childhood Education program; Galen Boldt, superintendent of Wahoo Public Schools; Tim Fichtner, teacher/coach at Milford High School; and Nancy Meyer, director of special education for Educational Service Unit 6. Each discussed careers in their areas of expertise. Boldt talked about educational administration and education as a profession.
Other activities for Academy students include participating in field trips in the career area, job-shadowing opportunities in their career of choice, interacting with professionals in their career of interest, and meeting with students from other schools to exchange ideas.
Nelson said current educators need to do a better job promoting education as a career choice.
“If our educational system is to continue providing a quality learning environment for our young people, we must have our best and brightest choosing education as a career pathway,” Nelson said.