Hemingway schools hold career fairs

HEMINGWAY— Students attended career fairs at both Hemingway High and Elementary Schools, learning about a number of fields and professional opportunities from area businesses.

The schools held the annual career fair for students in grades six and eight, as well as high school sophomore and seniors, Wednesday, Feb. 3 in the Hemingway High School Gymnasium.

According to organizers, approximately 800 students attended the event.

“I think it’s helpful for them to come into the career fair and see all the different careers so that they can get a feel on what they should do,” Sherry Fulton, Career Specialist and the event’s organizer, said. “We did it…for the eighth and tenth graders because our eighth and tenth graders do their individual graduation plans and to kind of get them to where when they get ready to declare their major for high school, they’ll know which field they are going to go in.”

Fulton called the fair a success and said exposing students to a number of career opportunities should help them both in high school and beyond.

Some students said having the different fields represented allowed them get a glimpse of several different career paths.

Jerome Davis, a senior at Hemingway High, said that while the fair allowed him to get a feel for several career opportunities, he was most interested in pursuing a career in construction.

“I’ve already got my mind made up,” he said. “Brick mason is the main thing, but architecture, I’m trying to get into all that.”

Jeff Moore, another senior, said he benefited from talking with the various representatives. “I learned a lot,” he said. Moore said he plans on joining the Marines after graduating high school, something he has wanted to do for a while but was able to gather additional information at the Feb. 3 fair.

Sixth graders from Hemingway Elementary were also afforded a chance to talk with career professionals. The only difference about the elementary students, Fulton said, was that they were required to prepare questions to ask the representatives ahead of time.

“They enjoyed it,” she said.

There were 25 businesses representing during the fair, along with the CATE classes, School Clubs (FBLA & Teacher Cadet), and Williamsburg Technical College. Vendors represented included Williamsburg County Fire Dept., SC Dept. of Natural Resources, Hemingway Police Department, SC Dept. of Corrections, Waccamaw Mental Health, Williamsburg County Alcohol & Drug Abuse, USDA Rural Development, Tupperware, Maggie’s Florist, Kingstree Workforce Center, WCSD Technology Coach, Nesmith & Pinckney Funeral Home, Attorney Doward Harvin, Esq., Personal Touch Decorating Services, Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office, Williamsburg County E-911, Williamsburg County Library, US Army, US Marines, and the United States Postal Service.

Representatives from the fields of automotive technology, electricity, welding, building construction and culinary arts were also available for students to meet and ask questions. Samples of health science professionals, family and consumer sciences and cosmetology were also in attendance.

Some of the fair’s highlights came from Personal Touch catering, who offered students samples of their pasta salad and wedding cake. Other activities included taking vital signs from Health Science, SC Highway Patrol personal allowing students to participate in sobriety tests, and cosmetology professionals giving students and others quick hair trims and styles. Rusty Ray, anchor of News-13 This Morning on WBTW, was also on hand to tell students about the field of broadcast journalism.