Highland High School had a Career Day for students on February 4th. There were a number of careers to choose to investigate. Students appeared to be interested and had several questions for the career representatives to answer.

      A former Highland student, who is now an Engineer, discussed how to produce a variety of product parts for equipment.

      Mrs. Michel shared about her job at Hills Bank and explained all the many parts of banking. "People think that all we do is just give people their money or place it in their accounts; but that's not true. We do much more then that," said Mrs. Michel.

      A College Football Coach from Iowa Wesleyan College (Mt. Pleasant) came and talked about how he teaches the players some plays for their upcoming games.

      The National Guard and the Marines were there and they had a lot of students at their tables. One of the Guards just came back Egypt and shared plenty of interesting information.

      A Geologist came to discuss how they check environments and the soil in areas before anybody attempts any improvements such as building or farming. She checks to be sure they are safe from hazards and that the soil is of good quality for the intended use.

      The students were having fun with the Sheriff and asking a lot of "what if?" type questions. There was a lot of story swapping!

      Also, the firefighters and First Responders were a hit. The volunteer firefighters brought their equipment and clothing for the students to try on and showed what to do if another firefighter was down.

      A Cosmetologist who is a Salon Owner had the interest of several girls while sharing information and tips about how to work in a salon or how to run your own salon!

      One of the Mental Health Counselors from the National Center for Victims of Crime came to discuss the types of ways people are abused. (Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, ect..) This includes families and friends or if someone is in a bad relationship. This Counselor often helps victims that are seriously depressed, some have even considered suicide. Counselors help by talking with patients about their problems to help them learn how to find better solutions.

      An Elementary School Teacher, Mrs. McCarthy, came to talk about what she does to teach her first graders and share about the different grade levels and what to teach children at various levels in education.

      A Paralegal explained how to research information on a case and stated that about 5% of cases actually go to court. Paralegals do a lot of the background work for lawyers who then use this information in their court cases.

      There were five careers in the category of Health Services. There were representatives from Physical Therapy, Radiation Science, Nursing, and an ER Resident Doctor. All of these representatives study patient injuries and problems in order to help the. The Health Professionals from Kirkwood came to show the students what they need to take during school for their career choice to get their degree.

      The whole event went very well for everyone. Students got to explore several careers options available out there in the world and learn more about what each career requires.