Greene County students explore future careers through hands-on Touch-a-Truck event

GREENE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Students in Greene County got a hands-on look at different career paths during a Touch-a-Truck Career Day at William Monroe High School.

The event brought together students from kindergarten through 12th grade, giving them an opportunity to interact with vehicles and professionals in agriculture, public safety, and skilled trades.

For Cooper Horne, a fifth grader at Nathanael Greene Elementary School, the day was about more than exploring trucks.

“We’ve learned how to do CPR and we’ve learned how plumbers use their drills and snakes to get out the clogs,” Horne said.

Students were able to climb into vehicles, honk horns, examine equipment and ask questions about what different jobs involve.

Blake Rhodes, a lineman with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, said students were especially interested in the equipment he uses.

“Most of them just want to see all the safety stuff we put on. They want to see you climb the pole,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes said the experience also gives students an opportunity to interact with workers they might otherwise only see from a distance.

“The most exciting part is probably just seeing them smile and just being able to just be there for that and talk to them and maybe give them a little idea for their future,” Rhodes said.

Jess Peregoy, director of technology and innovation for Greene County Public Schools, said the event is part of the school system’s emphasis on career and technical education.

“We want to make sure that our students graduate either enrolled, enlisted, or employed. Part of that is career and technical education, making sure students are exposed to as many different career opportunities as possible,” Peregoy said.

The district refers to those three possible outcomes as the “three E’s,” emphasizing continued education, military service or employment after graduation.

Peregoy said introducing those options early can help students make more informed decisions as they get older.

“If you want your students to graduate with one of the three E’s, you have to make sure you expose stuff to them as early as possible,” Peregoy said.

At the Greene County Sheriff’s Office display, Deputy Mallory Lamb said students’ questions varied depending on their ages and interests.

“The little ones, kindergarten and elementary school […] it’s more about how things work. The older students, middle schoolers and high schoolers, they’re asking, ‘What does it take to become a deputy?’” Lamb said.

Lamb said some boys were interested in what guns deputies carry, while some girls wanted to know about the animals deputies encounter through their work.

“We also love for them to get in the truck so they kind of see what we do every day and get some people excited about maybe possibly being law enforcement in their future,” Lamb said.

Peregoy said those experiences can also help students become more comfortable interacting with first responders and other workers they frequently see in their communities.

For Calais Shrum, a junior at William Monroe High School, the pressure to choose a career becomes more significant as graduation approaches.

“Once you get to high school, it’s almost kind of like the pressure is on. You’ve got to figure out what you want so you can take the classes that would help you set you up for college,” Shrum said.

Shrum is involved in Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, an organization that prepares high school and college students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.

“It’s not all just business. It’s also marketing and finance and like planning things out. It’s like both for creative people and for maybe more analytical and scientific people as well,” Shrum said.

While participating in the event, Shrum discovered another possible career opportunity just across from the DECA display.

Shenandoah National Park rangers were among the organizations represented, and their display caught her attention because of her family’s longtime interest in hiking and nature conservation.

Shrum said she had not previously considered the possibility of working at Shenandoah National Park, but the experience introduced her to the idea of taking a gap year to work there before continuing her education.

“I just thought it was really cool to look at all the different things they have and they have a really cool map that I got to look at,” Shrum said.

Now in its fifth year, Greene County Public Schools hopes to continue expanding Touch-a-Truck Career Day by bringing in additional businesses, trades and service organizations.

The district will host a separate college and career event in the spring for middle and high school students, giving them another opportunity to explore their interests and consider plans after graduation.

Businesses and organizations interested in participating in future events can contact Peregoy at jperegoy@greenecountyschools.com to be connected with the appropriate school administrators.

For Peregoy, it’s about giving the students an idea of the jobs that are available.

“A child cannot envision a future if they have not seen it yet,” Perogoy said.

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