Mountain View students celebrate career day with special guests
By Robin Nasby Special to the Acorn

In an effort to help students understand that their education is helping prepare them for productive roles in society, 13 area professionals volunteered to participate in Mountain View Elementary School's Career Day last week. Students in all grade levels came to hear them.

Event participants, representing a wide variety of occupations, included a Navy aeronautical engineer, a banker, a studio manager, a Polynesian dancer, a car hauler and even a mayor- Simi Valley's Paul Miller.

The students were introduced to career options they hadn't previously heard of.

"A lot of the students didn't know that Simi Valley had a mayor," Miller said.

"The event was very hands-on. Every child tried to play an instrument with the Polynesian dancer and received materials from the other representatives," said Sarah Moore, a second- and third-grade teacher at the school.

"I liked the variety of careers they had. They really told the essence of their job, but also reinforced the value system, math skills, being on time and paying attention to detail," Moore said.

Every visiting professional came in full job attire and brought impressive visual aids to supplement their presentations. The students were in awe of the 18-wheeler truck provided by the car hauler, which quickly became "the biggest hit of the day," according to principal Irene Stambolos.

Students rotated through five sessions, learning about each career and seeing the equipment the workers use, then getting to ask the volunteers questions about their choice of profession.

The youngsters posed some unexpected inquiries, according to PTA member Suzanne Nuttall.

"The children were excited to ask the banker about bank robberies," she said.

The Mountain View PTA played a large part in organizing the event, and nine of the 13 career representatives were related to students at the school, Moore said.

The school's administration viewed Career Day as an opportunity to involve the community in the activities of the school, Stambolos said.

The event also motivated students to attend school as the anticipation of summer vacation draws near and helped them learn why staying in school is important, the principal added.