NMS Lunch and Learns help students explore careers

NEWBERRY — Last school year, Newberry Middle School began holding Lunch and Learn sessions designed to help eighth graders get a better idea of what career they may want to pursue after high school.

Newberry Middle School Guidance Counselor Jeanette Cunningham said coming into middle school, students might not always know what career they’re interested in or have information about careers in general.

“I was trying to figure out a way to give them that information so I came to that conclusion when I was doing their career guidance lessons. Once a month, school counselors go into the classroom in the middle school level and educate the students about a variety of different topics and one of the things we have to do for the state of South Carolina to be in compliance is to do at least one, if not more, career lessons,” she said.

As part of the Lunch and Learns, speakers from the community come into the school and educate students about their jobs during the eighth grade lunch. Speakers can range from CDL drivers, firefighters, fashion designers – careers that students may not have even considered.

“Sometimes I walk around the cafeteria and talk to the kids at their lunch tables and give them information to get interested in signing up. Up to 25 kids can come, they come during their lunch period and the person who is presenting comes in and tells them how they got to their career, whether they had to go to college, trade school,or if they just went to high school and went into the workforce and learned their skill from their and give them information about ongoing training, etc.,” Cunningham said.

The goal, Cunningham said, is to help students understand that regardless of education or experience, every career is valuable. It’s equally important for students to come to school and pay attention.

“I want to get the kids motivated to learn so that if they have a career they want to do, that they’re not limited to what they want to do because they didn’t want to be focused or driven during middle school,” she said.

Anyone interested in being a speaker during a Lunch and Learn is asked to call Newberry Middle School at 803-321-2640 or email Cunningham at jcunningham@sdnc.org.