Elliott Point Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach held its first annual Career Day on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in partnership with the Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation. 

• The event, the first of its kind for any elementary school in Okaloosa County, exposed students to a wide range of future career opportunities and featured speakers from various professions, including doctors, engineers, media, travel experts, government officials, city employees, and more!

Principal Scott Nuss, the driving force behind the initiative, emphasized the importance of planting the seed of career aspirations in young minds. 

“The basis of today is to really plant a seed for our kids to start thinking about what they want to do in the future,” Nuss said. “We want to bring the community back to the schools. We’re helping each other out and where we’re providing, hopefully one day, the workforce for those businesses in the area.”

Throughout the day, each classroom hosted a minimum of two presenters, with the speakers tailored to the appropriate grade level. Students were engaged and excited, with some even dressing up as their favorite careers. And while all of the classes asked questions, fourth and fifth-graders came prepared with detailed questions for the presenters.

Superintendent Marcus Chambers, who spoke to a fifth-grade class, was impressed by the students’ insightful questions and answers. 

• “I was blown away by the questions that they had and the way that they were able to answer questions,” Chambers said. “When you talk to fifth graders, you never know what you’re going to get, but the sophistication of questions and answers, and even knowing what they want to be one day when they grow up, I was blown away.”

Chambers also stressed the significance of career days in preparing students for their future. “Career day is extremely important to us. When students leave Okaloosa Schools, we want them prepared to go to college, the military, the workforce. The more that we can acclimate students to future potential careers, it’s important,” he said.

Cindy Gates, an Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation Board Member and former Principal, noted that while ‘career fairs’ have long been a focus at the secondary level, having a full-blown career day dedicated to elementary students is a new and important development. Gates also highlighted the potential for students to share their newfound knowledge with siblings and parents, potentially inspiring career changes and exploration within families.

• “There’s so much opportunity out there but right now is when they need to start talking about it with their friends, parents, siblings and even their grandparents,” she said. “Because if they were able to take home one thing today related to a career, that would be a win.”

Debbie Tate, from the Okaloosa County School District, took on the task of contacting potential speakers for the day. After compiling a list of confirmed speakers, she worked to pair them with different grade levels, sometimes based on subject matter. 

One of the speakers Thursday morning was Dr. Amanda Finley, from HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

• “Being at Elliott Point Elementary for career day reminds me of the importance of nurturing curiosity and ambition in young minds, and reminding them they can achieve anything they set their minds too” said Dr. Amanda Finley, DO FACOI FACP. “It’s not just about teaching them about the field of medicine, but showing them the dedication and passion their local physicians have too.” 

Before the event was even over, Principal Nuss and the school administration were already planning for next year’s Career Day, taking into account feedback and aiming to set the bar for all elementary schools in the district.

“We’re going to sit down after this gets done, see what worked, what didn’t work, and then start planning for next year already,” Nuss stated. “When we say annual, we want it to actually be annual. We want to be a part of that community and get kids ready to start thinking about what they want to do when they get older.”

The inaugural Career Day at Elliott Point Elementary School not only inspired students to dream big but also strengthened the ties between the school and the community.