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Youngest students get a peek at careers
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE © St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2001 INVERNESS -- Career options are probably not top priorities in the minds of the prekindergarten and kindergarten set. But it is the time when schools begin to make children aware of distant opportunities. Pleasant Grove Elementary School presented "We Are the People in Your Neighborhood" recently. Spearheaded by prekindergarten teacher Debbie North, the program introduced nine careers to the school's youngest students. North and fellow teachers Bonnie Hackl, Erin Janicki, Marina Koelber, Stacey Swihert, Laura Manos, Lori Xenophon and Erika Urban circulated their students through four rooms to hear what the visitors had to say. One of the most popular stops was veterinarian Ron Dumas' table. That probably had to do with his small, friendly, furry assistant, J.R. The puppy let multiple tiny hands pet him for two hours. Working together, school district nurse Stacey Zylinski and master gardener Doris Mauricio took turns telling the students about good health and gardening. Zylinski had a large model mouth to teach the children about proper brushing and a jar of black tar to discourage them from smoking. Mauricio had brought a wheelbarrow loaded with garden tools, boots and plants and talked to the children about proper planting. In another room auto mechanic Don Riordan and carpenter Gene Colegrove also worked together. They showed the children their tools, what they are for and how to use the dangerous ones safely. Kim Whitten, Jim Hovis, and Patricia Dick visited the children from the Bank of Inverness and, using a giant check and some fake money, talked to them about buying and banking. Lisa Farina and Kerri O'Brien are cosmetology students at Withlacoochee Technical Institute. They had brought head models to show the children how to do perms, create up-dos and cut hair. They, too, brought tools of the trade and showed the children how they are used. Postmaster Mark Kelsey explained the postal system to the children, told them about stamp collecting and gave their teachers coloring books to distribute. Optometrist Henry Meer brought tools from his office and talked to the children about eye exams, eye injuries and treatment. Denise Willis, the Citrus County School District work force model facilitator, came by the school and commented on the program. "This is the beginning of career models for Citrus County schools," she said, "bringing career awareness to all students beginning in prekindergarten."
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