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Students attend career fair
Career Fair pic 3
Pastor Mike Owens (front right) walks A.J. Maner (back right) through a mock marriage ceremony of classmates Caitlin Daniel (back left) and Brandon Monkus. Owens was one of nearly 20 professionals within the community that participated in the third annual fifth grade career fair held at Rock Creek Park last week. - photo by Photo/Elizabeth Hamilton

Last week, fifth grade students from each elementary school in the county participated in the third annual Dawson County Fifth Grade Career Fair at Rock Creek Park.  

About 250 students had the opportunity to visit close to 20 different stations for about 15 minutes, each one with a professional representative from several different professions around the county.  

“Our main goal at the elementary level regarding career education is to provide awareness of the different career fields available,” said Lance Stiffler, counselor at Robinson Elementary School.  

“We also discuss the importance of a good work ethic along with basic character traits that employers are looking for in prospective employees,” he added.  

Participating professionals ranged from a nurse to a lawyer, veterinarian to taekwondo instructor and pastor to a health food professional.  Mike Owens, pastor of New Life Church of God in Dawsonville, spoke to students about the different responsibilities of being a pastor.  

“A pastor does more than just deliver a sermon each Sunday,” Owens said. “The pastor also does other things like weddings, funerals, baby dedications and visiting the sick.”  

To further explain and demonstrate one of many duties a pastor fulfills, Owens had students role-play a wedding ceremony.  

Jeanine Winborn, a health food professional and expert of alternative products for overall health and well being, spoke to students about how they can be the best they can be through what they eat.  

“I work with food, vitamins and herbs on a daily basis and wanted to give the students a more broad horizon of more choices than just what you find in your everyday grocery store,” Winborn said.  

Organizers for the event included Stiffler and counselors from the other two elementary schools: Leigh Orr, counselor at Black’s Mill Elementary School, and Marilyn Heath, counselor at Kilough Elementary School.   

E-mail Elizabeth Hamilton at elizabeth@dawsonnews.com.