Students discover, learn in workplace

By Julie Blum/jblum@columbustelegram.com

COLUMBUS - Dressed in a white lab coat and wearing rubber gloves, Kristina Pauley looked every bit the scientist.

The Columbus Middle School eighth-grader carefully placed a bit of raw ground beef in a bag and then added diluted water. The sample was dispersed in a special machine, creating a mixture for further study.

Using a pipette, Pauley gathered a sample and then released the liquid on two special films that when placed in an incubator, would show any bacterial growth , including E. coli.

These are just some of the steps that are taken at Carneco Foods to ensure product safety. Pauley was getting a hands-on lesson about all the special science skills that are involved in such a business by visiting Carneco through the Discovery class at the middle school.

Students are currently studying a unit in career exploration and are given the opportunity to spend a day shadowing at an area business in an area that they are interested in learning more about.

Pauley is interested in the sciences, so she chose to go to Carneco where she could learn how those skills are used there. Initially, Pauley said she had no idea that science played a large part at Carneco.

“I thought they just made meat into hamburger and took it to the store. I didn't think they tested it that much,” Pauley said.

Her day of shadowing consisted of first meeting with Technical Services Director Kit Foshee.

As a former teacher, Foshee said there are benefits of such a program because students are able to see that what they learn in the classroom is used in real life.

“It's a neat program for kids to see and apply how this relates to that and how this relates to that,” Foshee said.

The Discovery class, which is for gifted eight-grade students, is taught by Mel Janousek and he said the careers exploration unit has been offered for about 10 years. Students first do a self analysis that points out their strengths, learning styles and what they want out of a profession to help them narrow down a career they might be interested in. Students then set up a shadowing day with a business.

Janousek said students have shown interest in many different professional fields and after their days of shadowing, they share what they experienced with others in the class.

Taylor Fleeman chose to shadow at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha where he learned about the responsibility of a zoologist by meeting with the assistant animal curator.

Tayla Hevican spent her day at the radiology center at Columbus Community Hospital. She got to study X-rays, and looked at MRIs, CAT scans and learned about ultrasound equipment.

Savannah Hake went to the Perault Clinic. There she got to experience first-hand what it is like to be a patient there. She had ultrasounds and electronic stimulation therapy performed on her.

Caitlin Gilmore, who wants to be a veterinarian, visited Pet Care Specialist. She got to help out taking blood samples and how some of the equipment the doctors there use operate.

In his class, Janousek said he wants students to come away with an understanding of what it will take to peruse a career in a certain area.

“I hope that through the information obtained, that the students have a better idea of what it is they want to do and what they have to do to do that,” Janousek said.

The careers exploration unit in the Discovery class is just one way middle school students have the chance to see what type of careers are out there for them. The school has also incorporated a new Careers course this year that is required for all students to take.

Instructor Bernie Fleischacker said the class is going to be required by all schools next year. It designed to give students an idea of what they might want to do. Students study career fields, research them and get to hear from guest speakers in those professions in class. Students will also be exposed to employment that is available here in Columbus through the class. They will be attending a job fair in town next month to talk to employers.

Fleischacker said the whole purpose of the class it to prepare students for the future.

“They don't always have a very realistic idea of what they want to do. Just yesterday, I had kids write down on the bottom of their quizzes what careers they are interested in right now. Many were writing that they wanted to be profession athletes, movie stars, models, things that aren't very realistic. I told them it is great to shoot for the stars, but it is good to have something else to fall back on. ... We are trying to give them a dose of realism,” he said.