ANNA GREEN

Students from Charles Henderson Middle School were given the opportunity to job shadow several businesses in Troy Monday.

Gina Hastings, the business technology essentials teacher at CHMS, said eighth grade students were able to participate in the program to help spark career interests.

“This is an opportunity that we give to our eighth graders. We begin to focus on careers during the school year, and this is just a good way for students to find out if they like certain career choices,” Hastings said. Students are given a career interest inventory, and based off their answers Hastings tried to match students with a career suited for them.

“We send letters to businesses to see if they would be interested in letting the kids shadow them for a day,” Hastings said.

Jamilya Coleman, a student at CHMS, chose to shadow Doug Hawkins, owner of Troy Animal Clinic for the day, along with five other students.

“I think I’d really like to be a veterinarian. I’ve had a lot of fun today,” said Coleman. “I’ve learned that not all animals are friendly, and that you have to have patience to work with them.”

Faith Spivey chose to go to Troy Elementary School for her job shadowing. “I really like kids. I have a lot of patience and I would like to be a teacher one day,” Spivey said.

Spivey is one of five children, and credits her patience and her desire to teach special needs children to her brother David who has Down’s syndrome.

“My brother has taught a lot about patience. It’s because of him that I would like to teach special education classes,” Spivey said.

Spivey followed fifth grade teacher Lise Kennedy, who said that she thinks that Spivey will be a wonderful teacher. “She has helped me grade and file papers, and she has worked with individual students. She will be a wonderful teacher,” Kennedy said.