Career Week and Work the Runway Update

During the second week of May our whole district will be hosting a Career Week. I wrote about this before in a previous blog post about the event Work the Runway. We have an event planned for each day of the week.

On Monday of Career Week, all of the 8th grade students in the district will be bussed to the high school for a kick-off Pep Rally.  There will be a distinguished speaker from the community, the Mayor, the Superintendent, and students speaking at the event.

On Tuesday of Career Week, speakers from a variety of different careers will be coming to each building to speak to 8th graders about their career journey.  We will be hosting all of the speakers at my school for a welcome breakfast then the speakers will travel to their speaking engagement. There will be four speakers for 8th grade students in my building.  The students will rotate to each speaker.

On Wednesday and Thursday students will be going through a "Reality Check" simulation. Students will be given a scenario and then have to manage their money and be a consumer of goods and services. For example, a student might get a scenario that states that they are 25 years old, single, with two children, and they are employed as a cashier making $13,000 a year. The student must then consume goods and services based on their income level and family.

The week prior to Career Week, I will be visiting all of the 8th grade math classes at my school to teach students about managing a checking account and how to write a check so they are prepared for the "Reality Check" event.  There is a really cool site geared towards students about managing money called "The Mint." The Mint has activities about how to write a check and how to manage a checking account or ledger. The activities could be used on a projector in front of the class or students could do the activity individually if they had access to a computer.

On Friday, the culminating event of the week is our "Work the Runway" career fashion show.  I have put a ton of work into planning this event. I contacted local businesses to solicit donations for clothing for the event. I was able to get donations from Target, JC Penny's, and Men's Warehouse. I was also able to find a modeling coach who is willing to volunteer her time to teach students how to walk on the runway.

We selected 2-4 students from each building to participate in "Work the Runway."  They will be modeling what to wear for an interview, what to wear to work (professional dress), what to wear for business casual, and what not to wear. I would like to have them write about their career hopes and dreams and dress up like what they would wear in the dream job, but I am not sure if we have enough time to plan that out. If we do not get to do that piece this year, we will definitely plan it in for next year.

I am still working on the getting the music and entertainment for "Work the Runway." I solicited a radio station, but I have not heard back yet. We will, however have photographers at the event. My fiance and my brother have volunteered their time and their camera skills to take pictures at the event.

Everything seems to be coming together. I can't wait to share more about this Career Week as the events unfold!

What career activities do you facilitate at your school? Comment below, email metweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.

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