School Holds Alumni Career Day
More than 25 Jasper County High School (JCHS) alumni came back to the school last Thursday for the second annual Alumni Career Day, an event which has become a highlight for the students.
Students at JCHS had the opportunity to hear from five JCHS graduates about their current careers and the path that led them to this point, as well as from keynote speaker Jerry Williams, a 1979 JCHS graduate who currently serves as the school system’s Transportation Director.
Mr. Williams kept the students entertained as he motivated them to set some realistic goals and then reach for the stars. He explained that growing up in a small town is not a deterrent to being successful, but that it can sometimes be one of the strongest advantages. By the end of the day, students were asking teachers if the school could celebrate career day more than once a year.
“That’s really not a bad idea,” said Amy Scroggs, coordinator of the event. “I think we would definitely have enough alumni to come back regularly, but right now, we’re just hoping to keep it an annual event.”
The idea came a few years ago when Mrs. Scroggs heard some of her students complain about not having any opportunities to better themselves because they were graduating from such a small high school. She began thinking then about the possibility of an alumni career day where JCHS graduates came back to tell their stories. The idea came to fruition last year with the first alumni career day and it was a huge success.
“There are so many people who graduated from JCHS who are successful in their chosen careers and who are productive citizens of society. I thought that if I could just get some of those people to come back and share their experiences with my students, maybe we could help the students understand that growing up in a small community and attending a small high school could be a benefit, not a hindrance.”
In addition to Mr. Williams, JCHS students also heard from Cathy Hooper Snook, vice president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Macon; Jim Lynch, manager of Shady Dale Farms; Adrienne Kelly, nurse at Grady Hospital; Lee Cope, engineer; Laura Crecelius, psychologist; Ashley Dietzel, property manager; and Angela Walsh, tax commissioner.
Also, Ashley Collier, nurse at Piedmont Hospital; Brian Tomlinson, director of field services at UGA; Jehan El-Jourbagy, attorney and director of Jasper County Mentor Program; Audrey Davis Stewart, retired educator/author; Donnie Pope, sheriff; Kay Boykin, director of family services at childcare center; Karen Brown, stylist; and Kate Huff Canterbury, director of Northside Cancer Center.
Also, Danny Sorrells, minister; Matt Shelton, electrician; John Willis, attorney; Nathan Stone, military; Chris Strickland, technology services; Tim Pitts, college professor; Matt Dietzel, insurance agent; Toni Barger, hospice nurse; Thomas Miller, Atlanta firefighter; Nancee Tomlinson, trial lawyer; Angie Steele, magistrate judge; Shernita Hicks, accounting; Kendra James, postal worker; Anthony Perry, career military; Carol Norris, registrar; and Ben Thomas, director of field services at Central Georgia EMC.
Members of the Career Day committee who helped pull everything together were assistant principal Buddy Cain, retired counselors Mrs. Cora Whidby and Ms. Toni Reese, Mrs. Susan Evans, and Mrs. Scroggs. In addition, the event was sponsored by the local Career Technical Student Organizations including FBLA, FFA, HOSA, TSA and FCCLA. Officers of those organizations served as tour guides for the day.
“We had a lot of input from the other administrators and teachers, and the career day would not have been possible without the help of all those people,” Mrs. Scroggs explained. “The students and faculty members completed evaluations to help guide the Career Day process for next year, and the presenters will also offer suggestions for next year. I’m excited about continuing this tradition and I can’t wait to see the effects of this one day on our students in the future.”