Carson City area volunteers sought to judge senior projects, offer career guidance

CARSON CITY — As the district works on aligning workforce preparedness efforts under the Work-Based Learning umbrella, community partners will have more opportunities to share information with students including career exploration, preparation and training.

The Carson City School District is in need of business partners representing a variety of industries to volunteer in a number of upcoming events or activities. Among volunteers needed are those who expose students to an assortment of careers and jobs available in our area. These may be healthcare companies, engineering firms, government entities like the Bureau of Land Management or the Nevada Division of Minerals, military recruiters, construction companies, sheet metal workers and much more.

One guest speaker at the Carson Middle School College and Career Fair, a previous WBL event held last month, commented on how being involved in several events in secondary schools will allow students to learn about the wide range of opportunities following high school.

“As a middle school student, my plan was to graduate high school; but in high school, I discovered my passion for biology and patient care,” said Sergio Trejo Jr., a first-generation college student heading to medical school. “I was a member of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and attended a CTE (Career and Technical Education) magnet academy, and I was hooked.

Trejo is now completing a master’s in Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno and looks forward to at least four more years of medical school. He has been accepted at three medical schools and has not yet decided which one he will attend.

For community partners willing and able to volunteer, below are several upcoming events across the district geared towards providing students with hands-on career exploration opportunities:

— Robot Showcase, Saturday, March 16, at Carson High School, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The WBL focus will be on career exploration in the field of technology and engineering.

— Senior Project Judging, Monday, March 25 through Saturday April 6, at Carson High School. Presentations will be Monday, April 8. The WBL focus will be on career exploration and preparedness.

— Mock Interviews, Wednesday, April 24, at Pioneer High School, 9:00 – 10:35 a.m. The WBL focus will be on career exploration and preparedness.

— Job Fair, Friday, May 3, at Pioneer High School. Time of this event has yet to be determined. The WBL focus will be on job connections for students under 18-years-old and graduating seniors (18 and older).

— Job Fair, Wednesday, May 22, at Carson High School, 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The WBL focus will be on job connections for students under 18-years-old and graduating seniors (18 and older).

— Mock Interviews, Friday, May 24, at Eagle Valley Middle School. Time of this event has yet to be determined. The WBL focus will be on career exploration and preparedness.

— Mock Interviews, Tuesday, May 28 through Thursday, May 30, at Carson Middle School. Time of this event has yet to be determined. The WBL focus will be on career exploration and preparedness.

Contact ydeluca@carson.k12.nv.us to reserve your spot.

Senior Project Judging
Seniors at Carson High School are actively engaged and meticulously rendering their time and talents for the benefit of our community and their future careers. In order to be eligible to graduate, each senior must complete a Senior Project. Since 2001, this challenging and successful endeavor provides students an opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have accumulated and apply these to an area of their own interest.

Components of the Senior Project include a student-directed project, creation of a portfolio of the completed project (a capstone to their education career in the Carson City School District) and a formal oral presentation to a panel. This assignment requires a great deal of time and commitment on the part of the student, all while preparing them for their future. Last year, nearly 400 community volunteer judges reviewed project portfolios and sat on panels to score oral presentations (approximately 25,000 volunteer hours).

Student portfolio viewing and reviews are scheduled for the following dates and times:
— Monday, March 25, through Friday, March 29, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
— Saturday, March 30, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
— Monday April 1, through Friday, April 5, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
— Saturday, April 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The high school is still in need of community volunteers to review project portfolios and assist with the judging one the three sessions of oral presentations Monday, April 8, at Carson High School (8:00-9:40 a.m., 10:00-11:40 a.m. and 12:00 noon to 1:40 p.m.). Recommended training sessions to become a Senior Project Panel Judge will be held at the following dates and times.

— Tuesday, March 26, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
— Thursday, March 28, 6-8 p.m.
— Saturday, March 30, 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

Go here for additional information on how you can volunteer.