Fort Plain students win deluxe job shadowing experience

          Seniors Tory Stella and Avery Johnson have won the regional Dream Job Program essay contest sponsored by USA Today and Bryant & Stratton. The award was announced at the dream job recognition dinner in Albany in May.

        Stella and Johnson, along with one other student, were selected for the honor from among students in the 10 schools represented at the dinner. Their teacher, Kathie DeKalb received a Dream Career Winner plaque from CBS 6, Bryant and Stratton College and USA Today in recognition of excellence in teaching.

       "There were so many quality essays submitted this year. Fort Plain nominees were exceptional. This is a reflection of not only Fort Plain students but also their instructor." Bryant and Stratton’s Renee Belardo said.

       For having their essays chosen, Stella and Johnson were awarded special job shadowing experiences. Stella spent a day at the Family Counseling Center in Gloversville with Deputy Executive Director Deborah Skivington. She was able to meet and work with different types of counselors in the mental health field, an experience that will help her make a decision about the specific area of counseling she would like to enter. Johnson will have the opportunity to be a participant in the Junior Dairy Leadership program at Cornell University this summer. Specifics of his job shadowing experience are forthcoming.

       Stella, Johnson and all students in DeKalb’s money management class took on-line quizzes to help determine in which careers they might succeed based on factors such as talents, interests, and personality. They chose a career, conducted in depth research on it including educational requirements, job prospects, potential salary, and created a career portfolio. Then they wrote the 500-word essay explaining why they chose that career as their “dream job.”

      A group of Fort Plain teachers judged the essays and selected five to be sent to Albany for further judging. Those judges selected Johnson and Stella to represent Fort Plain at the recognition dinner.

      "I find it important to combine career information with financial literacy making the budget planning assignment more realistic. The opportunity to participate in the USA Today Dream Job Contest just brought it all to a higher level," DeKalb said.

        Photo shows  Renee Belardo from Bryant & Stratton, DeKalb, Stella, Kim Svoboda of USA Today, and Johnson.
 

Tory Stella, Avery Johnson write top essays

      Seniors Avery Johnson and Tory Stella are local winners in the Dream Job Program essay contest sponsored by USA Today and Bryant & Stratton.
       Students in Kathie DeKalb’s money management class took on-line quizzes to help determine in which careers they might succeed based on factors such as talents, interests, and personality.    They chose a career, conducted in depth research on it including educational requirements, job prospects, potential salary, and created a career portfolio. Then they wrote a 500-word essay explaining why they chose that career as their “dream job.”
        A group of Fort Plain teachers judged the essays and selected five to be sent to Albany for further judging. Those judges selected Johnson and Stella to represent Fort Plain at a recognition dinner in May. One student from the ten schools chosen for the program will be selected for a deluxe job shadowing experience.
        All students in DeKalb’s class will shadow someone locally who works in their “dream job.” Johnson’s chosen career is dairy farmer and Stella’s is school psychologist.

Business students seek their "dream job"

     The High School Business Department was chosen to participate in the “Dream Job Program” by sponsors “USA Today” and Bryant & Stratton College in Albany.
      The program is enabling students in Kathie DeKalb’s money management class to learn about the successes and failures of today’s business people, become aware of the globalized economy and understand career and job trends. Students create their own career portfolio and, at the conclusion of the program, submit a 500-word essay based on their research of their chosen dream job. Five Fort Plain winners of the essay challenge will be chosen with the top two joining the Albany competition for a chance to experience a day in the life of their dream job.
          Seniors Jessie Menzies and Tory Stella hold “USA Today” newspapers that the school receives twice a week as part of the program. Students use the newspaper and NYCareerZone resources to analyze, evaluate and interpret real-world information related to career trends and issues, while evaluating their interests and career goals.

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