LINCOLN -- Lincoln Middle School held its first Career Day on the Friday before spring break and the intent was to give students a heads-up when it comes to considering careers, said Tyler McBride, seventh-grade literacy and social studies teacher.

The high school has a Career Day and middle school teachers thought it would be a good idea to introduce students to possible careers even before high school, McBride said.

"We had a lot of conversations at the end of the year last year and wanted to start connecting our kids with people in the workforce," McBride said. "We want to show them there are good careers they can have that don't require a college degree."

About 20 people presented their careers to the students, including representatives from Lincoln, Prairie Grove and Fayetteville police departments, SWEPCO, PG Telco, EMS Inc., and the University of Arkansas. Some of the careers were sales, law enforcement, ministry, dental assistant, business owner, banker or loan officer, attorney.

Two students said they benefited from Career Day.

"It helps me because I'm seeing all new stuff of what I want to do," said sixth-grader Kyle Williams.

Sixth-grader Austin Mourning added, "It helps me figure out what I want to do for my life and how I want to make money."

Both students said they were especially interested in the information given by law enforcement officers.

The school incorporated two other events into its first Career Day.

In social studies, students selected and researched an influential person. They created a project on the person, dressed up as their person and then presented the report to others.

Fifth-grader Kassidy Cuzick, for example, said she selected Madonna as her person of influence because Madonna is a role model in the feminist movement.

"I agree with her that women should have equal rights," Kassidy said.

In another part of the school, sixth- and seventh-graders gave proposals on how they would spend a $400 grant that would benefit the school and its students. School staff and members of the community judged the grant proposals, and at the end of the day, nine projects were approved for actual funding through outside donations.

Some of the proposals approved included a hydration station to refill water bottles, an anti-bullying elective class, a gift shop with Wolf-themed items, painting and sprucing up the teacher's lounge, creating a dance elective class and purchasing microscopes and new lab aprons for the school science lab.

Students worked in teams of four on their proposals. Each application had to include a budget on how the money would be spent and explain how the the plan would help students or the school.

General News on 04/11/2018