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Students learn about grownup jobs

At career day, kids see what it's like to be a superintendent, an Army pilot and a sheriff's deputy in a canine unit.

By PETER SCHWEITZER
Published April 30, 2005

	[Times photo: Kinfay Moroti]
	U.S. Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Johansen shares his gear with third-grader Rachel Taylor, 9, and her classmates, from left, Jesse Pinto, 9, Carlos Guzman, 8, and Nathan Love, 9, at Garrison Jones Elementary School's career day in Dunedin on Friday.

DUNEDIN - Students at Garrison Jones Elementary School learned Friday that it's never too early to think about what they want to be when they grow up.

Twenty-seven speakers, many of them parents of Garrison Jones students, represented careers in law enforcement, the military, education and other fields.

One of the more publicly visible parents to address the fourth- and fifth-graders was Dr. Clayton Wilcox, superintendent of Pinellas County schools. Both Wilcox children, third-grader Morgann and fifth-grader Tanner, attend the school.

As Wilcox entered the first class shortly after 9 a.m., he greeted the students, some by name. "I know you; I've seen you at the Y before," he said as he greeted fifth-grader Kelsey Buckley.

After briefly giving the students a synopsis of his educational background, Wilcox moved right into what he sees as his responsibilities as superintendent.

"I have to be able to communicate well. I have to be a good persuader," he said. "My job is an important job and it's a fun job."

Wilcox also addressed the school district's most recent public incident, involving a 5-year-old student handcuffed by police after becoming unruly. "I have had to explain how that happened. I've been on TV and in the newspapers talking about it and explaining it so it doesn't happen again."

At the end of the first 15-minute session, Wilcox distributed small reading lights to the students,telling them, "Good readers are going to rule the world. Reading is the new civil right. If you can't read, you can't compete."

As the students were leaving, he leaned over to his son Tanner and whispered, "I love you."

As the second group entered the room, Wilcox removed his suit coat and went around the room, asking each child his or her name. This go-round, Wilcox's comments included teacher pay and support for President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

"It's a sad comment today that our teachers should make a lot more money," he said.

In response to a student question about mandatory testing, Wilcox responded emphatically, "Too many schools don't prepare kids for their future. Three out of 10 won't graduate high school, and one in 10 will end up in jail. That's why the president has signed No Child Left Behind."

While Wilcox was the most well-known speaker, he wasn't necessarily the most popular.

Pinellas County sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Baez, a member of the county canine unit, spoke to another group of students accompanied by his partner, Tonka, a 4-year-old German shepherd. When asked what they do all day, Baez said, "We chase bad guys. Tonka picks up their scent so they can't get away from us."

Baez pointed to his partner's large black nose, explaining to the eager students how the German shepherd is able to track humans.

The speaker who drew the largest crowds and most eager students was pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Johansen, a member of an Army Reserve Blackhawk unit based near the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport. Johansen was speaking in place of fellow pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Staubs, who is deployed with his unit in Iraq and whose sons David and Austin attend Garrison Jones.

As Johansen showed a video of the Blackhawk helicopter on a training mission in the Nevada desert, the students said, "Wow, cool!"

After the video presentation, Johansen, who is on active reserve duty, displayed the various gear that each member of his unit uses as they perform their duties. Students were chosen from among the crowd to model body armor, fire retardant jackets and gloves, as well as a helmet outfitted with night vision equipment, sunglasses and a microphone.

As students raised their hands and related their personal stories of relatives in the service, Johansen said, "You should be very proud of them and their service to the country."

The final event of the day was a tour of the police helicopter used by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, which arrived in impressive style: The helicopter landed on and took off from the school's baseball field.

[Last modified April 30, 2005, 00:51:14]