Students explore careers through vehicle career parade
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The excitement along Carolina Avenue was contagious as students lined up along the street pumped their arms in the air at passing semi trucks to signal drivers to blow their horns while waiting for a career parade to start.
The enthusiasm soon spread as the pick-up trucks and cars got in on the action, blowing their horns at the students as they drove past them.
The staff and students of Allison Elementary School lined the sidewalks of Carolina Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets while over 33 businesses, law enforcement and first responders lined their vehicles up at the school for the school's first career parade.
The career parade of work vehicles which ended with a touch-a-truck event at Chester City Park was designed to introduce students to a variety of careers available to them in the community and surrounding areas.
During the touch-a-truck event students were able to talk with those representing a variety of fields including plumbing, security, nursing, law enforcement, towing and truck driving. They even interacted with a race car driver.
They made their way by classroom around the park to visit all the different vehicles and talk to the owners about their business or vocation.
Students were able to explore a mail truck, get hands on with a leak locator and camera with a local plumber, climb inside a race car, explore the Hancock County Sheriff's Department's Critical Incident Response truck, climb inside the cab of a semi-truck, and check out a hearse, firetruck, ambulance and police cruiser.
Students were asked to pick their favorite vehicle to discuss later.
Kassiel Buettgenbach, 10, said the day was really fun and he was excited he got to into some of the trucks. There were some career options that he might want to look into but he said he wasn't sure which ones yet and he had not decided on his favorite vehicle yet.
Preston Derosky, 9, said the day was good, but none of the businesses or professions he had seen caught his interest because he plans to be an NFL player for either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Cleveland Browns when he grows up. His favorite vehicle was the Cheeto's semi-truck.
Braelynn Long, 9, said it was really fun and interesting to see all the cool trucks and vehicles and that she wants to be a designer when she grows up but if she had to make a second choice, she would choose being a firefighter and the fire truck was her favorite vehicle.
Lily Powers, 8, said all of the trucks were really fun and her favorite vehicle was the van from The Orchards and that when she grows up she wants to be one of The Orchards nurses
Students received popable keychains from Sparkle Market and bracelets from Metsch Refractories. The Orchards had a variety of gifts for the students to select from. They also received take-home bags with resource information from the Hancock County Family Resource Network on summer lunch programs and other community services.
"They were over the moon. I am so so pleased with how the kids are receptive and how they are cheering," said, Carrie Six, a professional school counselor at Allison Elementary School . "They are so excited. This is awesome."
kgarabrandt@mojonews.com