Indio Middle School students consider their futures during College & Career Day

What do you want to be when you grow up?

That is the question regularly posed to students at Indio Middle School during their annual College & Career Day. Since 2015, the focus on college and career has brought community members to the school to talk about the multitude of options. Traditionally, that has been in a classroom setting with each group of students listening to the experiences of two to three speakers throughout the day. 

In today’s distance learning model, how were the IMS Tigers going to still have that college and career day experience? Teachers and administrators at the school did not look to replicate the past. For this, the 6th Annual College & Career Day, all ideas were on the table. It was clear that this needed to be a virtual experience. But how could it be even better than the past in-person event?

This year it was no longer about a “day”; it was about a week, a month and even longer. College Kickoff was held on October 12 as teachers virtually shared their personal college and career journey, while students were encouraged to log into the district’s evening college event as a homework assignment.

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Throughout the week, students completed daily activities in their homeroom classes. They took virtual college tours and watched career presentations. What made this a unique career event was that those speaking about their careers were asked to submit videos. The videos are still available for student review on the Indio Middle School website. Students were encouraged to watch them with their families and discuss the various options. Would that career be something you find interesting? 

In the world of virtual education, parental involvement continues to grow and IMS teachers and administrators discovered that students do not typically speak to their families about what would come after high school. A Family Night activity was scheduled. Entry to the event was a response to a simple question: Have you ever had a conversation with your parents/guardian(s) about college? The activity introduced was for students and their families to watch the college and career videos together. They were invited to record their reaction to the videos, send presenters follow-up questions, share thoughts via the social media hashtag #VirtualCollege&CareerDay;, and to send thank you notes to those who took the time to create career videos.

Students were asked to introduce their parents to California College Guidance Initiative (www.californiacolleges.edu), accessible through the Desert Sands Unified School District website, plus the myriad of activities and discovery tools available on the topic of college and career readiness. 

Note: Throughout the valley, students are reminded that college and career information is available at ntbweek.com.

Mary Perry is the public information officer for Desert Sands Unified School District.