Gilford High students learn from the pros at Career Exploration Day

GILFORD — Representatives from a spectrum of businesses came to Gilford High School for Career Exploration Day, where students saw first-hand what different occupations were all about.

Principal Anthony Sperazzo said planning for the April 21 event started about two months ago, when students in their first three years of high school were surveyed about their career interests. From there, district leaders reached out to contacts in the business community aligned with the student interests.

“We had 35 community partners reach out and say they’d love to collaborate, and we had to cap that due to rooms and capacity,” Sperazzo said. “That’s a great problem to have. It says a lot about the community, and how they support our students.”

Career fields ran the gamut from education, healthcare, arboriculture, media and broadcasting, military, law enforcement and emergency services, to nonprofits, art, construction, aerospace, banking, skiing, hospitality, and restaurants. Some businesses were local, and others were from across the Granite State.

“We even had several alumni who came back, because they remember going through the process and how impactful it was for them,” Sperazzo said. “One of our students works for Lighthouse Contracting, and is here presenting with an owner. He is a former graduate who did an internship in high school, and it all aligned. Now, he has been there for a number of years.”

Sperazzo said students were asked to sign up for two, 45-minute sessions to hear about specific careers. Presenters were asked to focus on the four key components of the district’s Portrait of a Learner program.

“We asked them to speak to it, because they needed to have those four skills in high school, and how it is applicable in college and on the workforce,” Sperazzo said. “That is the bedrock, or the foundation, of who we are here. We try to embed that into everything we do here.”

Portrait of a Learner

The four attributes of Portrait of a Learner are to collaborate, innovate, self-direct and think critically.

Sperazzo said the work started about eight years ago, when the school district was going through the assessment with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, as part of the accreditation process every 10 years.

The district compiled feedback from community stakeholders — including students, parents, staff, and local businesses — about what attributes are important for students. The district had about 20 components to start, and narrowed down to 10, then finally four key components. Through this, the Portrait of a Learner was born.

“We feel that being collaborative, critically thinking, innovative and self-directed are crucial components in being successful for any career path,” Sperazzo said. “That is what we did, K-12, throughout this whole process.”

The Career Exploration Day takes place every other year, and a Portrait of a Learner showcase takes place in the years between. There, students are at the forefront, showing portfolios and their work. That's their time to shine, he said, and show how students embody the attributes.

Sperazzo said the beauty of Portrait of a Learner is when students enter the high school, they're familiar with it from middle school, and even elementary school. Students are recognized for exemplifying what the Portrait of a Learner means, in what was once called “student of the month.”

“When students and staff members recognize students exhibiting these skills, they can nominate them to be a Portrait of a Learner recipient,” Sperazzo said.

Gilford is not alone. Both the Laconia and Inter-Lakes school districts have their own version, called “Portrait of a Graduate.” Sperazzo said over the past decade, the initiative has taken off, and the district has received feedback from the community, business owners and colleges who say students need these necessary skills.

“It differs from district to district, but in our local community, these are the four attributes we arrived on,” Sperazzo said. “So, before we send them off into the world, this is what we feel is important. You’ve seen that across the nation, whether it is Portrait of Learner, Portrait of a Graduate. There are different names, but it takes on the same meaning. It’s a guiding North Star.”

What students are saying

Anya Bourgeois is in her third year at Gilford High, and said she's interested in broadcasting as a career. She saw a presentation by Marissa Leyland of Binnie Media, who shared stories about being a voice on the air, as well as preparing commercials, music, and promotions.

“I’ve been really interested in doing that for college, and learned all kinds of different aspects of it,” Bourgeois said. “I want to do more of the sports end of it, and interview sports people, but I learned a lot about the radio stuff today. That was really cool."

Bourgeois knows she has some time to figure out exactly what she wants to do, but having Career Exploration Day is important when preparing for college, and any potential opportunities for the future.

Lukas Diaz, an 11th grader, enjoyed learning about the ski industry from Ryan Dee, representing Fischer Sports at the event.

“We live in an area where it is super popular, and I thought it would be interesting,” Diaz said.

Diaz said the ski industry probably won’t be where he lands in the future, but he does have sales in mind.

“I have a big interest in that, and I am also interested in finance and banking,” Diaz said. “I like money, and want to learn how I can use it right.”

Diaz praised the event, saying students often don’t know exactly what they want to do, and there is never too much time for preparation.

“When a school has a program like this, they get to see options, and it might spark a lightbulb, and lead them to what they want to do,” Diaz said.

Tenth grader Joel Wernig works at Gunstock Mountain Resort, in the ski shop, and said hearing from Dee was right up his alley. He is also interested in serving in the military, and in the next presentation, he was checking out what Olivia Conley of the Air National Guard had to say.

“This has been good for me, to know my structure, and know what I want to strive for, and keep my grades up for the next steps,” Wernig said.

Jevan Beale, in his third year at Gilford High, said in the week before the event, he chose two different career paths to check out. One of them was law enforcement. He heard from Det. Sgt. Adam Batstone, who showed students the Gilford Police Department drone.

“I am learning a lot about the different tactics, and how they have a lot of equipment to catch suspects,” Beale said.

Beale plays many sports, and is also interested in athletic training. That's his top choice, because he enjoys learning about the body. Gilford High Athletic Trainer Alexandria Raifsnider presented, and Beale was impressed with her knowledge.

Beale said there are so many jobs, and he thought district leaders did a good job representing a variety of positions.

“I think this is helpful, because you can see what you’re going to do after high school, and what your next steps are,” Beale said. “It’s a great idea, and I think it will help a lot of students.”

Feedback and beyond

The high school’s advisory program will gather feedback on what was successful about Career Exploration Day, as well as what needs improvement. Sperazzo hopes to see students interested in taking certain courses because they were enlightened by one of the presenters.

“We are setting them up for next year’s courses, internships, and job shadows,” Sperazzo said. “The work here is really just beginning.”

Students can will go to Extending Learning Opportunities Coordinator Steve O’Riordan to find an internship. O’Riordan said there were 44 students who participated in 12-week internships at local businesses, and on May 6, every 10th grader will be participating in a job shadow.

“We are really trying to give the kids a chance to go out and learn hands-on doing something they are really interested in,” O’Riordan said. “That is really the idea, to get kids these types of experiences. We all learn things at school, but we really learned our jobs at the job.”

Businesses interested in participating can call 603-524-7146, contact Sperazzo at Asperazzo@SAU73.org, or O’Riordan at soriordan@sau73.org.