OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Students at Oskaloosa Middle School invested Thursday doing something different from their typical lessons. Hallways and classrooms were filled with conversations about careers, handshakes with professionals, and questions about the future during the school’s annual Career Day.

The event brought professionals from across the community into the building, giving students a chance to explore careers and hear firsthand how different jobs connect to the learning they do today. In total, 28 organizations and businesses participated, offering students a window into fields ranging from health care and finance to theater and education.

For Oskaloosa Middle School counselors and staff, the goal is simple: help students begin thinking about the possibilities ahead of them.

“We have professionals from our region come in and explain their careers to our students so our students can explore different options for when they graduate high school,” said Catherine Ferguson, a counselor at the school.

The event has become a tradition at the middle school, now in its fifth year. While students always enjoy meeting people from different professions, Ferguson said the biggest benefit is helping them connect what they learn in school with the careers they may pursue someday.

“We do this so that students can be better aware of what careers are out there,” Ferguson said. “They can also connect what they are learning and gaining in skills now throughout middle school to future careers.”

The day began with students gathering at the George Daily Auditorium for a keynote presentation from speaker Jac Munson. His message focused on how people spend their time and the legacy they leave behind.

Alex Edwards, associate principal at Oskaloosa Middle School, said Munson’s message helped frame the purpose of the day.

“By opening up about his own journey, he helped our students realize that it’s okay for your career dreams to change as you grow,” Edwards said. “The key takeaway was thinking about how you’re going to spend your time and how you’re going to be remembered.”

After the keynote, the entire school day shifted to career exploration. Teachers incorporated career-focused activities into their classes, replacing the typical academic schedule with lessons designed to help students think about the future.

Math classes explored scholarships and financial aid college opportunities through games, Literacy classes reflected on the keynote message, Language teachers helped students build resumes, Science teachers led students in discovering their personality traits, Encore teachers supported the creation of student vision boards and taught professional email etiquette, and Social Studies teachers engaged students in living our building commitments.

The most visible part of the day took place in the gym during the “career walk.” Students moved from booth to booth, meeting professionals, guided by a bingo-style card designed to encourage conversation. Tasks included shaking hands, asking questions about a profession, or collecting a business card.

Laura Brummel, a counselor at Oskaloosa Middle School, said the activity helps students build confidence in interacting with adults and learning how to network.

“They each got a bingo card that had things like shake a professional’s hand, ask them a question about the profession or share about your own future goals,” Brummel said. “This challenge really helps students feel more confident to interact with the professionals.”

Throughout the afternoon, professionals also led classroom sessions where students could explore specific careers in greater depth.

Principal Clint Gingerich said the day reflects the school’s commitment to helping students explore possibilities early.

“The entire student’s day is focused on giving students the chance to explore different careers,” Gingerich said. “Every content area is teaching a lesson connected to careers.”

That focus on exposure and exploration is designed to build a bridge to opportunities students will encounter later in high school, including programs like Oskaloosa’s Innovation Hub. The Hub connects students with local businesses and organizations to solve real-world problems, making early experiences with professionals especially valuable.

Brummel said Career Day helps students become comfortable talking with adults in different fields, something that will matter when they begin working on community projects later.

“I think this is absolutely a great opportunity for them to network and start seeing, like, ‘Oh, I can do this. I can go and talk to these professionals,’” she said.

For students, the experience often sparks new ideas about what their future might look like.

Eighth grader Maci Graham said she enjoyed seeing how many options exist for different careers.

“I like how today can show you how you can get into good jobs for your career, and it can let you know the opportunities you can have as an adult,” Graham said.

Graham said one of her favorite stops involved theater and puppetry, where she learned about technical roles behind the scenes.

“It helps with the opportunities,” she said. “So if you don’t get into an acting position, you can do the technical stuff behind the stage.”

Another eighth grader, Olivia Spoelstra, said the event introduced her to careers she had never considered before.

“We’re experiencing a bunch of different jobs by people who work there, and it’s just a really fun way to experience different jobs for future careers that you can do,” Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra said she is currently considering becoming a teacher or an author, and the career fair helped her see more possibilities.

“This helps by showing you a bunch of different jobs that you could do that you never thought,” she said.