Elliott Point Elementary School hosted its second annual Career Day on Tuesday, bringing together 38 local professionals to inspire students about future career paths.
- The event showcased diverse career fields including building trades, cosmetology, real estate and law enforcement, growing from 33 presenters last year.
“The purpose is to expose our kids to something they’ve never seen before. We’re trying to plant the seed so they can think about what they’re going to do when they grow up,” said Principal Scott Nuss. “It’s exposure and making connections with the community.”
Okaloosa County Superintendent Marcus Chambers addressed fourth-grade students, sharing his own career journey from substitute teacher to district leader.
- “I didn’t start as a superintendent,” Chambers told the students. “My very first job in the school district was as a substitute teacher. That’s what started what I call a love for education.”
Chambers emphasized the importance of education in achieving career goals and the vital role teachers play in student success.
“Your teachers are much more important than I am,” Chambers told the students. “Teachers are where the rubber meets the road. They absolutely love you guys.”
Superintendent Chambers also highlighted the school district’s economic impact as the second largest employer in Okaloosa County after the Air Force.
- “If you’re the number two employer in a county, that means you’re important for the economy,” he said. “The work that you all do in school is important not only for you, but for your school, our school district, and this county.”
The career day connected classroom learning with real-world applications, allowing students to ask questions about various professions and explore potential career paths. Students shared aspirations ranging from engineering and professional sports to becoming chefs, military service members, and even astronauts.
School Board Member Parker Destin, who attended Okaloosa County schools himself, praised the event’s growth.
“These types of events didn’t exist when I was coming through the Okaloosa County school system 20 years ago,” Destin said. “The fact that we have them and they seem to be growing every single year, connecting all of our young people with what will ultimately be their future careers or employment opportunities early so they can start thinking about it, is really heartwarming.”
Principal Nuss emphasized that career day serves multiple purposes, including breaking up the routine during testing season and highlighting educational paths for students.
- “It’s about cohesion. The superintendent talks about cohesiveness and about all of us working together,” Nuss said. “It also highlights places in this community that we should highlight more, like our Okaloosa Technical College. They do a phenomenal job there with trades.”
In preparation for the event, teachers help prepare students with questions for presenters and provide feedback about which presentations resonated most with their classes.
“The teachers absolutely love it because it’s like a glorified show-and-tell, like we used to have back in the day,” Nuss said. “We don’t get to do those as much as we used to, and we want to bring that back because they need those real-life experiences.”
The event highlighted local businesses and community partnerships, with every presenter from last year’s event returning and five new professionals joining, which Nuss sees as evidence of its success.
“My plan is to have this be an annual thing moving forward,” Nuss said. “It means the world to us — the fact that our business community has the buy-in, and they want to help our kids succeed.”
