Heights middle schoolers energized by annual JA JobSpark experience

On Sept. 24, all eighth-grade students from Hamilton Heights Middle School traveled to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to attend JobSpark, presented by Junior Achievement (JA JobSpark). Over 120 regional and local companies participated to provide students with over 200 hands-on learning activities to help students explore various careers.

“It was an amazing day!” said Connor James, CTE Business and Preparing for College and Careers Teacher and Reaching New Heights contact at HHMS.

James is an instrumental part of making this experiential day trip possible for the eighth-grade student body each year. This year, students had the opportunity to visit interactive demonstrations, learn about, and meet with those professionals in eight career areas: Advanced Manufacturing, Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Engineering, & Logistics; Architecture, Engineering & Construction; Business & Finance; Government, Law & Public Service; Health & Life Sciences; Hospitality & Tourism; and Technology.

Here’s what a few students had to say about their favorite experience from this year’s JobSpark.

Ellis Knapp said JobSpark gave her the opportunity to talk to a nurse and get her perspective on what they do each day. “She also gave me good advice about how you can work your way up the career ladder as a nurse,” she said.

For Tommy Girolamo, getting to see the Indy cars and being able to see all the different types of tires they used in races was his favorite part. “I learned that the PSI of the tire depends on what type of track they are racing on,” Girolamo explained. “For example, the Indy 500 tires have a different PSI than street or road courses.”

Flying and landing a plane at the flight simulator was what Carson Fleck enjoyed. “It was amazing how many buttons and switches there were,” Fleck noted.

Learning about an aircraft engine is what Elise Christy said was her favorite JobSpark memory. “The lady teaching me about it was quite nice and showed me how they adapt the engine with more pistons or propellers,” Christy said.

Meredith Robinson, who potentially wants to become an animal breeder, said it was seeing and learning about the live animals she enjoyed best. Shifting the semi transmission into eighth gear or rebuilding the mini-diesel engine was the most impactful for Wyatt Swinford.

JA JobSpark is a multi-day, hands-on career expo impacting over 13,000 Indianapolis eighth graders. JA JobSpark is part of the JA Work and Career Readiness Pathway and is intended for middle school students (grades 6 to 8). This volunteer- and educator-led program can be classroom-based, remote live, or after-school. The JA JobSpark initiative includes in-class or remote curriculum and activities prior to and after attending the event.

JA JobSpark is meant to “spark” an interest in students and get them excited for their future. Students will learn about skills needed for jobs that will be in demand when they graduate and will learn about the equipment that is used on those jobs daily. The expos help students gain a better understanding of the courses they will need to take in high school, a track for post-secondary and a clear career pathway for what they find they are interested in.