HUDSON, NY – Students in grades 7 and 8 enrolled in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) elective at Hudson Junior High School recently hosted a two-day Career Day for sixth-grade AVID students.
The event, organized by AVID teachers Brian Hoolihan, Jennifer Nixon and Anna Wheeler, was designed to give students an opportunity to develop research, presentation and communication skills.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students selected careers to research, created trifold presentation boards and memorized key information to “become” their chosen profession as part of a Career Day Wax Museum. Students also dressed the part, wearing lab coats, scrubs and other attire representing their careers.
“The eighth-grade AVID class enthusiastically committed to the career wax museum project, demonstrating a wide variety of chosen occupations,” Hoolihan said. “Each project was unique, personalized, thoroughly developed and expertly researched. Students were able to imagine themselves in their chosen careers and convey the ins and outs of their occupations to their fellow students. We are incredibly proud of their hard work.”
Sixth-grade AVID students visited the presentations, taking notes, asking questions and engaging with presenters. This experience helped reinforce their lessons from the last several months related to effective communication, college and career readiness.
AVID elective courses include students from a wide range of backgrounds, abilities and interests. Students are nominated by teachers, complete an application and participate in an interview process before joining the program.
“Seventh-grade AVID students worked incredibly hard researching their chosen occupations and stepping into those roles for a day to teach others,” Nixon said. “The students were incredibly professional in both their dress and demeanor while giving their elevator pitches. I’m so proud of the work they’ve done in sharing their occupational interests with sixth-grade students.”
Through the project, students practiced their research skills while learning about job responsibilities, required education and necessary skills. They also further developed their public speaking skills and learned how to present visual information effectively.
“It was really empowering to put my creativity into a project and see how students react to different careers,” eighth-grade student Sindid said. “It was fun to experience these careers and learn new things.”
They also reflected on the rigor of the project and the growth it required. “This project was genuinely a lot of work,” seventh grader Rose said. “We had to research, make slides, and design a poster board. I think that a lot of people during this project thought, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘this is too much work.’ This project showed me that if you try your best you can do things you thought you couldn’t do. The wax museum was very fun, we had people come up and ask questions, listen, and write down what we were saying.”
The AVID class was a new addition to Hudson Junior High School this year. In sixth grade, the AVID class is a daily core class to build studying and organizational skills, college and career awareness and more.
“It was wonderful to see my former students step into these careers and serve as role models for the sixth graders,” sixth-grade AVID teacher Anna Wheeler said. She noted that the event reflected hours of work from both students and teachers across the three grade levels, and highlighted the impact of the AVID program in building student success and leadership skills. Students in Ms. Wheeler’s class develop communication, collaboration, reading and writing skills that support their learning in all subjects.
“It was very fun, and I was impressed by all the work that went into creating the poster boards,” sixth grader Sara said. “I loved interviewing them and learning about the education required for different jobs.”
Seventh-grade AVID students explored a variety of careers, including teacher, actor, archivist, psychiatrist, accountant, credit analyst, audiologist, biochemist, cardiologist, nurse, software developer, electrical engineer and more.
“The AVID career project gave me a deeper understanding of the career I’m interested in and what it takes to succeed,” seventh grader Fatheah said. “This experience motivated me to set higher goals for myself and to plan the steps I need to take to reach them.”
Eighth-grade AVID students researched careers such as architectural engineer, astronomer, biomedical engineer, lawyer, therapist, special effects artist and writer. “I enjoyed expressing my creativity and sharing my interests with other students,” eighth grader Curtis said.
