SRAE Students Learn That The Sky Is The Limit During Career Day
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA… Slippery Rock Elementary School hosted a Career Day on October 13th for eighty 4th grade students. The event was held in the school’s gymnasium with approximately 20 businesses setting up informational booths.
Steve and I were honored to have been asked to participate in this year’s Career Day by Carisa Takac, Slippery Rock Elementary School’s Guidance Counselor. This was a first for us and for me personally, the nerves were as high as my first day of school 57 years ago! We were in the process of building the November issue of Movin’ Out. (Which I finished at 7:00 am on that morning before we had to be at the Elementary School at 8:45 am!)
Once inside the gymnasium, we quickly set up our booth with a display of photos of truck shows and trucking events that we have attended during 2023. We also had copies of Movin’ Out for all of the students and notebooks and pencils for them for their future journalistic endeavors.
Steve and I very much enjoyed interacting with the students and had a wonderful morning! The students were extremely well behaved and very interactive with us. After 41 years of working together at Movin’ Out , we have our teamwork routine figured out, Steve handled most of the talking with the students and I took lots and lots of photos! The students asked some very thought-provoking questions about our education, how we use math, writing and technology in our work, and if there were things that we liked to do as a kid that are related to our jobs. They also asked what a day at our job looks like – and our response was that it varies from day to day – we can either be sitting at a desk in our office working on stories or building the newspaper on the computer to driving 14 hours one way to attend a truck show in Missouri.
The photos on our display were a HUGE hit, especially the Kuhnle Brothers Kenworth Jet Truck that shoots flames.
Eve Drogowski and Catalaya Greenway talked to me about a comic book they were writing and illustrating with 2 other students. They inquired about how to publish the book.
Steve talked a lot about the trucking industry and the feedback from the students after the Career Day showed that he left a lasting impression on many of the students.
Christian wrote that he learned “that trucks have built in homes.” Kara was also impressed after learning this detail, writing, “in the back of most of the trucks there’s a
fridge and a bed.”
River left very detailed feedback, stating “He [Steve} was interesting because it was very cool learning how they advertise on different trucks, news, etc. One fact I learned about the guy [Steve] was that when he was 16, he wanted to have a job.” {Editor’s Note: Steve actually started to work for a local farmer at age 13 and then began to work for his Dad at age 16 at his father’s local newspaper.}
Freya wrote, “I enjoyed the truck stories, how many places they go to get stories.”
The Career Day was a true learning experience, for both the students and Steve and me. They had the opportunity to discover a variety of jobs and we were revitalized from interacting with the students and realizing that we truly had chosen the right careers for ourselves!
Captions:
Eve Drogowski and Catalaya Greenway shared with me that they, along with 2 other students, were writing and illustrating a comic book.
Freya Thompson and Michael McCullon
Our photo display has a big hit with the students! Steve Pollock, Publisher of Movin’ Out discusses some of the photos with Nolan Garvey and Atlas Schuster.
Steve Pollock with 4th grade students McKenzie Schlotter, Kendall Mokel, River Campbell, and Briella Leitch
Brooks Thompson shared with us that his Stepfather is a Professional Truck Driver with PGT Trucking.