Stanhope Career Day

By Laurie Gordon
Stanhope - This Friday, the Stanhope Public School District will host its fourth Career Day. The program, which started in 2015, is an alternative to 'bring your child to work day,' and it's a chance for community members to teach children about a career and how to achieve it.
“Kids get to see what their and their friends parents do,” said the program's coordinator, Cathy Yonki, secretary to the superintendent. “We set up the room like a career fair and approximately 20 presenters share information through trifold boards, hand outs, graphs, images and engaging with the students.”
The students tour the fair in groups, with the 7th and 8th graders leading the way.
“The presenters make a personal connection with the students and encourage them to ask questions,” Yonki said. “We realized that not all parents are able to bring their children to work, so this is an opportunity for all of the kids to see multiple jobs that are out there.”
Participation is by invitation.
“It ensures safety and keeps the interactions with people who live right here," Yonki said.
One presenter about whom Yonki is particularly excited is a woman from the Old Copper Grist Mill, in Chester.
“She's an actual miller which is something you don't often see today,” Yonki said. “She is a museum attendant at the Mill, but it's also a working mill. We're rolling back the clock on the technology to expose the students to all types of jobs.”
The students will enjoy the fair starting late morning and can explore careers in the arts, entertainment, communications, recreation, technology, engineering, agricultural, the environment and more.