Caroline County high school sophomores had the opportunity to attend a career exploration fair on November 21 at the Fretterd Community Center in Denton.
Sponsored by Denton Rotary, the event brought together students from both Colonel Richardson and North Caroline high schools to meet with local business representatives, attend workshops, and hear from speakers. With the exception of a temporary break due to the COVID pandemic, Denton Rotary has been providing this yearly event to 10th grade students since 2013.
Devon Beck, keynote speaker for the event, provided a positive message about being true to oneself and finding a meaningful career, and shared his own story with students. Mr. Beck is a graduate of North Caroline High School, and now serves as the Equity Facilitator for Talbot
County Public Schools, in addition to being a songwriter, hip hop artist, and podcaster.
- Unlocking Your Potential at Chesapeake College with Marci Leach, Director of Program Development, Chesapeake Community College and JP Kelly, Business & Industry Navigator, Chesapeake Community College
- Mental Health Means Inner Wealth! with Sara Porter-Lepore, LCSW-C and Cara Calloway, Caroline County Public Schools Mental Health Coordinator
- How To ROCK a Job Interview! with Deborah Boulden, Youth Outreach Coordinator for the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board
- Way to Be: Exploring Career Interests with Abigail Trice, Next Generation Scholars Coordinator, Caroline County
In a follow up presentation to the Caroline County Board of Education during their December meeting, Rotary representative Sue Simmons thanked Director of College and Career Readiness (CCR) Lindsey McCormick, Career Coach Rob Gowen, counselors Cia North, Ann Ferkler and Brad Plutschak for their roles in the event. Superintendent Dr. Derek Simmons thanked Ms. Simmons and the Rotary for their leadership.
Businesses/organizations participating in the fair were:
• Accounting Strategies Group, LLC
• Betty’s Boutique
• Caroline County Department of Emergency Services
• Caroline County Family YMCA
• Caroline County Sheriff’s Department
• Channel Marker, Inc.
• Choptank Community Health Systems
• Choptank Electric Cooperative
• Combined Technology Solutions
• Hay Jay Acres
• Horizon Farm Credit
• Maryland Environmental Service
• M&T Bank
• Moore Funeral Home, PA
• On Your Mark Lighting Design & Equipment
• PepUp
• Shore United Bank
• Star Democrat / Times Record
• Shore Gourmet
• Shore Strategies
• TRAX Advantage Driving Academy
• Tuckahoe State Park
• University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
• US Postal Service
• Videographer Rob Simmons
All event photos may be viewed on the Caroline Flickr page.