Each of Clinton Elementary’s fifth grade students this month gave career presentations to their classmates and school leadership.

The project was the culmination of more than three months of weekly work with Elementary School Counselor Olivia Post, and the next step in the district’s growing focus on exposing students to college and career learning during the primary grades.

Last year, the College Readiness and Workforce Education team initiated a series of career exposure assemblies, led by Post, in which fourth grade students at every school brainstormed professions around the community and discussed how many different types of jobs could be found in a singular place like a hospital or train station.

While those sessions were revised and are continuing this year, Post treated Clinton this year as a pilot site for a deeper educational experience. In mid-October each student took a career survey through the Pathful Junior a K-5 career exposure platform and received a list of job clusters they may be interested in. Post instructed the students to pick a job, research such elements as starting salary, job requirements, and what goes into a typical day, and then produce a presentation.

“I tried to get them to pick something they had never heard of,” Post said. “They did a great job.”

Some of the jobs included forensic scientist, elementary school principal and brand licensing director.

“A few of them did basketball players and trainers, which I was fine with, as long as they explained the how: What are the skills you need; how do you get there,” Post said.

Much of those weekly sessions were devoted to teaching the students how to put together a presentation, which Post noted was “a challenge,” but learning that will be valuable to each in the future. “When they’re in middle school, high school, college, they’re going to need these skills.

“I let them use memes and funny pictures,” she said. “I wanted them to have fun with it, but also learn something.”

While many of the students were nervous to present, Post emphasized it would be good practice for the future and all ended up choosing to do so. She gave students the option of bringing a friend up with them to calm nerves.

While some students said they were surprised to like the idea of the job they picked to research, others told their classmates they wouldn’t recommend the profession. “I said, ‘That’s great. Why is that?’ I just want them to be exposed,” Post said. “That’s all that matters to me. If they get anything out of this it’s that they know there are different careers out there for them.”

The counselor said the students’ presentations were executed so well she promised to bake them cookies for her time with them the following week.

Post chose Clinton for the pilot project because it is has the smallest fifth grade of all the elementary schools and didn’t know if she would be able to do a weekly project at the larger schools. However, that may change in 2025-26.

“Hopefully, with the elementary reconfiguration plan, I can do it at all the fifth grades next year,” she said.