Poughkeepsie Middle School students have years before they’ll have to make a decision on what to do after graduation.

What’s important, though, is that they know they have options.

The school last Friday held its inaugural college fair, an opportunity for students to learn more about the different choices they’ll have in about four years for higher education.

“This is all about exposure,” said College Readiness and Workforce Education Counselor Kelly Semexant, who organized the event with the school’s Assistant Principal for Climate and Culture Danielle Green, and SEL Counselor Takiyah Ingram. “When they came in here, I don’t think anybody knew what an HBCU was. They’ll leave knowing that and about other schools.”

The fair encompassed six tables around the perimeter of the gymnasium. Each table represented a different type of post-high school learning opportunity: community colleges, SUNY schools, private schools, Ivy League schools, HBCUs (or, Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and the military.

Each table included a poster board presentation representing the type of school, with facts included. Volunteer high school students stood at each table to also answer questions.

As the grades and classes rotated into the gym, they were given questionnaires on each type of school to fill out, which included questions about what they would learn at each table and about how it may apply to them. They then submitted the questionnaires at each table to be entered into a drawing to win college swag – shirts, drawstring bags, keychains, etc. – from the trove in Semexant’s office.

Semexant contacted several high school groups – Sister 2 Sister, My Brother’s Keeper, National Honor Society and the AFJROTC – to find volunteers to make the presentations and stand at the tables. She said it was important the message to the middle schoolers was coming from high school students, some of whom already have plans to go to prestigious schools like Vassar. “I want them to see that it’s possible to go far,” Semexant said.

Seventh grade student Davae McClinton said the fair was “important for my future,” as it would teach him more about schools available. “I like to draw,” he said. “I’d like to go to some sort of art school.”

Senior Olivia Arnfield was about the high school volunteers. She said she wanted to take part as it’s important “to facilitate and reinforce the fact that education is really important,” and “needs to be taken more seriously.” She said many of the middle school students “asked good questions. Some asked what I was planning to do after high school, which I appreciated, and they showed interest in what was a private school, what was a community college, we had good interactions.”

The fair in the morning was followed at the end of the day with a March Madness-themed pep rally that included games – such as musical chairs and a pie eating contest – drumming and a student versus staff basketball game.