Schools and Education
One day. A dozen students. A bigger sense of what’s possible.
What does it take to expand a seventh grader’s idea of their future? Sometimes, it just takes a day. On Thursday, September 10th, Park County seventh graders will board buses at Sleeping Giant Middle School and head to Montana State University for Community School Collaborative’s first Student Career Day of the school year.
CSC needs community volunteers to go with them—and because volunteers must complete a school district background check before the trip, now is the time to sign up.
Each volunteer will spend the day with a group of approximately 12 to 15 students, beginning at SGMS at 8 am. Together, they’ll ride to Bozeman, explore agriculture careers through hands-on stations at MSU’s BART Farm, eat lunch, and then head to the main campus for a tour.
By 2:30 pm, everyone will be back at Sleeping Giant Middle School for student debriefing.
Coffee and lunch are provided. No teaching experience is necessary. No agriculture expertise is necessary. What matters most is showing up. That may sound simple. For a middle school student, it can be anything but.
Middle school is a time when young people are beginning to decide what they believe about themselves: What am I good at? Where do I fit? What kind of person could I become? Is there a place for me in the world beyond school?
Those questions are one reason Community School Collaborative concentrates its work on middle school students.
CSC connects young people with careers, workplaces and adults throughout Park County through Student Career Days, Pop-Up Clubs, Job Shadows, and career exploration software. More than 300 students participate in CSC programming each year, connecting with dozens of businesses and community partners and spending thousands of hours learning in real-world settings.
The goal isn’t to make a 12- or 13-year-old decide what they want to be when they grow up. It’s almost the opposite. It’s to make their world bigger.
A student who has never thought about agriculture might discover that the field includes science, technology, business, engineering, animal care, natural resources and dozens of other pathways. A student who has never set foot on a college campus might walk through MSU and, perhaps for the first time, think: I could be here someday.
And throughout that experience, a volunteer is beside them, helping them explore what they’re experiencing.
CSC wants students to leave middle school with a stronger sense of direction and opportunity, greater confidence, an understanding of their own strengths, and meaningful relationships with adults who believe in them. Student Career Days are designed specifically to expand students’ sense of possibility and help them connect school, careers and community.
That is what volunteers help make possible. You don’t need to have the answers to students’ questions. In fact, you can discover right alongside them. Your job is to help a small group navigate the experience, encourage them to participate and ask questions, and be one more adult showing them that their community is invested in their future.
CSC needs volunteers for September 10th now. Because every volunteer must complete a background check through Livingston School District, waiting until the last minute may mean there isn’t enough time for clearance.
Visit csc4kids.org to volunteer and schedule your Livingston School District background check right away.
One day may not determine a young person’s future.
But it can help them see a future they hadn’t imagined before.