The week of March 26 to 30 will be Career Week at both West Windsor-Plainsboro high schools. Speakers are scheduled to inform students about working in various industries including the engineering, architecture, law, medical, and business fields.
Lee McDonald, director of guidance for the school district, said the presentations are geared toward sophomores but are available to all students.
WW-P sophomores are required to attend at least one session and write a one-page report on what they learned as part of an assignment, which McDonald said is the equivalent of a quiz or homework grade. He says for students at North the grade would be for social studies and for kids at South the grade would come from language arts.
“It’s an opportunity for them to put in writing what they learned and how it might apply to their future,” he said.
Sophomores are required to upload their reports to their Naviance accounts, the online career and college planning software utilized by the district for student files.
McDonald says the assignment would not be used for college application materials. Naviance is the system used for creating online portfolio for all students as they proceed from grades 9 through 12.
McDonald describes the events as a way WW-P has “engaged the stakeholders in the district” by bringing forward members of the community to speak about their day-to-day existence.
“Something students would not get a sense of in the classroom,” McDonald said.
All speaker presentations will take place in the cafeteria of each school during students’ lunch break from approximately 10:50 to 11:30 a.m.
The schedule for High School South is as follows:
Monday, March 26: Engineering/Technology. Steve Walker, senior VP at PNC Financial Services Group; Marissa Leonhardt, Program Analyst at WW-P school district.
Tuesday, March 27: Medical. Mike Hagemen, Pharmaceutical research & development at BMS; Valerie Kullmann, Pediatrician.
Wednesday, March 28: Law. Simon Harter, attorney specializing in maritime law and international commercial disputes; Jim Carvalho, retired West Windsor Police sergeant.
Thursday, March 29: Business. Jim Barbour of FunniBonz barbecue sauces; Edison James of Accenture.
Friday, March 30: Art/Architecture. Nishan Patel, painter and children’s book author; Joseph Kociolek, architect; Molly Johnson, printmaker and college professor; Elyssa DiGiovanni, animator.
High School North:
Monday, March 26: Business/Education. Bill Totaro, former businessman and current business teacher; Mike Zapicchi, High School North principal; Jana Colpini, special education teacher; Jennifer Bard, special education teacher.
Tuesday, March 27: Engineering/Technology. Scott Bentivegna, nuclear configuration manager at URS Corporation; Chhaya Somani, information technology; Mark Redmann, information technology.
Wednesday, March 28: Law/Criminal Justice. Kelly M. Botti, attorney from Hill Wallack LLP; Guy Armour, Plainsboro Township Chief of Police.
Thursday, March 29: Health Professions. Patricia Walsh, registered nurse, High School Nurse; Dr. Wendy Zhang, pharmaceutical industry; Dr. Barry Wasserman, pediatric ophthalmologist and LASIK surgeon; Dr. Valerie Brooks, psychologist.
On Friday, March 30 High School North will receive visits from the same speakers as High School South except the speakers are scheduled for the block immediately following lunch:
Art/Architecture: Nishan Patel, painter and children’s book author; Joseph Kociolek, architect; Molly Johnson, printmaker and college professor; Elyssa DiGiovanni, animator.
Career Week was first implemented under McDonald’s suggestion last spring. He said WW-P’s rotating drop schedule where a common lunch period exists makes such gatherings for all students possible.
