Junior Achievement Day
Written By: Morgan
On December 19th, 2023, students of Ephrata Middle school were given the privilege to learn about Junior Achievement and what it can do for them in the future. They were given several speeches from adults who taught them about future skills they will be needing such as: interviewing skills, budgeting, planning a resume, and many other STEM activities. For half of their school day, they got to go classroom to classroom while getting taught in fine detail about what each of those future skills are and how they will be needed to live a stable future.
STEM Activities
In room 94, otherwise known as Ms. Trout's classroom, students participated in STEM activities and got to be hands on and communicate with their classmates. Several stations were set up for students and those stations were all about math, engineering, technology, science, and building. Students were put into groups of about four and went from station to station to test out these skills and earn points for the groups. They were able to snap together wiring and electronic pieces to make a light bulb turn on, solve math problems, program a mouse through a maze, and design a cantilever.
Interview Skills
In room 93, otherwise known as Miss Reynolds classroom, students got the chance to learn about interviewing skills and how those skills can help them get a job. Those skills include showing direct eye contact, asking good questions, being engaged, dressing formally, and having a positive attitude. The students were taught these skills by being placed in groups of about four and playing a game of charades. The student who was acting out had to choose from a pile of cards that had the skills written on them and had to act them out. Every group competed and got points for every time they guessed correctly. It was a fun and engaging way to get the students to learn about interviewing skills.
Budgeting
In room 91, otherwise known as Mrs. Rigg’s classroom, students had the opportunity to learn about budgeting and how to spend their money wisely. They learned about opportunity costs, gross income, net income, and budget sheets. On their own, they were assigned a card that had a job and their monthly net income. They were also handed a budget sheet where they got to divide their budget amount into savings, housing, transportation, food, entertainment, clothing, and other expenses. This activity taught them how to make a budget sheet and spend their money wisely so that they can live a stable life.
Resumes
In room 90, otherwise known as Mr. Daniels’ classroom, students were taught about the correct and incorrect ways to create a resume and how having a good resume will help them get the job. They learned how good resumes are easy to read, in a professional font, free of grammatical errors, no longer than one page, tailored to the job description, and focused on a job seeker’s relevant skills, achievements, and experiences. Also, we learned how a bad resume is disorganized, has grammatical errors, unprofessional email address, distracting or inappropriate photos, information that is not relevant, and does not highlight your accomplishments. In this activity, students were put into groups and had to decide whether multiple resumes were good or bad. It taught them how to build a good resume that will help them get the job that they are applying for.
The Junior Achievement taught the students skills to have a stable future. Those skills include building resumes, interview tips, budgeting, and STEM skills. I personally would like to thank the volunteers for taking time out of their day to come to Ephrata Middle School and giving out many helpful tips for having a successful future. Hopefully, students walk away with valuable information and keep these tips in their heads for the future.
STEM Activities
In room 94, otherwise known as Ms. Trout's classroom, students participated in STEM activities and got to be hands on and communicate with their classmates. Several stations were set up for students and those stations were all about math, engineering, technology, science, and building. Students were put into groups of about four and went from station to station to test out these skills and earn points for the groups. They were able to snap together wiring and electronic pieces to make a light bulb turn on, solve math problems, program a mouse through a maze, and design a cantilever.
Interview Skills
In room 93, otherwise known as Miss Reynolds classroom, students got the chance to learn about interviewing skills and how those skills can help them get a job. Those skills include showing direct eye contact, asking good questions, being engaged, dressing formally, and having a positive attitude. The students were taught these skills by being placed in groups of about four and playing a game of charades. The student who was acting out had to choose from a pile of cards that had the skills written on them and had to act them out. Every group competed and got points for every time they guessed correctly. It was a fun and engaging way to get the students to learn about interviewing skills.
Budgeting
In room 91, otherwise known as Mrs. Rigg’s classroom, students had the opportunity to learn about budgeting and how to spend their money wisely. They learned about opportunity costs, gross income, net income, and budget sheets. On their own, they were assigned a card that had a job and their monthly net income. They were also handed a budget sheet where they got to divide their budget amount into savings, housing, transportation, food, entertainment, clothing, and other expenses. This activity taught them how to make a budget sheet and spend their money wisely so that they can live a stable life.
Resumes
In room 90, otherwise known as Mr. Daniels’ classroom, students were taught about the correct and incorrect ways to create a resume and how having a good resume will help them get the job. They learned how good resumes are easy to read, in a professional font, free of grammatical errors, no longer than one page, tailored to the job description, and focused on a job seeker’s relevant skills, achievements, and experiences. Also, we learned how a bad resume is disorganized, has grammatical errors, unprofessional email address, distracting or inappropriate photos, information that is not relevant, and does not highlight your accomplishments. In this activity, students were put into groups and had to decide whether multiple resumes were good or bad. It taught them how to build a good resume that will help them get the job that they are applying for.
The Junior Achievement taught the students skills to have a stable future. Those skills include building resumes, interview tips, budgeting, and STEM skills. I personally would like to thank the volunteers for taking time out of their day to come to Ephrata Middle School and giving out many helpful tips for having a successful future. Hopefully, students walk away with valuable information and keep these tips in their heads for the future.