Freshmen get career-minded
'I'm trying to give them the tools to become a stronger student.' - Carl Melhorn Rio Mesa High School teacher
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers JOB HUNT- Rio Mesa High School teacher Carl Melhorn and freshman Danny Rodriguez, 14, prepare signs for the upcoming Career Day for Freshmen at the Oxnard high school.

Rio Mesa High School teacher Carl Melhorn saw a chance to teach his students a life lesson they wouldn't be able to find in a book.

A bit unorthodox, but the approach fits well with Melhorn's class, Personal Growth and Development, seeing how he started the year without a textbook.

Melhorn said when he asked the 16 freshmen in his class about their plans for the future, the 11-year veteran teacher quickly realized most of the teens had no idea what they wanted to do after high school, while others didn't understand what it took to enter a professional career in any number of industries.

Many of the school's freshmen students were also likely unaware of what life after high school might hold, he said, so Melhorn assigned his students the task of hosting a career fair for the entire freshman class.

The Career Day for Freshmen is scheduled for April 23 in Rio Mesa's gymnasium.

In the meantime, Melhorn's students are gettting a crash course in a number of career skills. By organizing the fair, the 14- and 15-year-olds are learning responsibility, commitment and initiative in addition to teamwork, creative thinking and time management skills, Melhorn said.

"At this point, I'm trying to give them all the tools to become a stronger student," he said.

Teacher and students listed careers and people they know working in those fields. The students wrote letters on school letterhead, asking the local professionals to give a presentation on their line of work to the freshman class.

The response was overwhelming.

A SWAT officer, beautician, chef, retail store manager, probation officer, landscaper, lawyer, auto mechanic, video producer, doctor, rancher and operating room nurse are among the professions represented at the fair.

"This class really did help me out a lot . . . to get on schedule and not mess around," said 14year-old Danny Rodriguez of Oxnard, who wrote to local grocery stores asking for donations of food to serve to the presenters.

Danny said he wants to be a plastic surgeon or lawyer.

Camarillo resident Amanda Perez, 15, said putting the fair together has been a lot of hard work.

"It's kind of challenging. I think in the end it's going to be pretty good," said Amanda, who likes working with people and plans to go to college after high school. She has no idea what line of work she'll pursue.

Estevan Estrada, 14, said he'll ask family friend Jerry Robinson, former linebacker with the Los Angeles Raiders, to come and talk about being a professional football player.

"I usually put other people before me, so I want to be a firefighter," said Estevan, who added he's also interested in becoming a military pilot.