ERIC COOP
Black & Gold Advisor
What a student is going to do once they leave the hallowed halls of high school is something on the minds of everyone. The choices range from entering the workforce, attending college, or joining the military. For the students of AC/GC High School, several opportunities made themselves available on April 19.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the career fair at AC/GC was a much looked forward to annual event, occurring every year since Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center came together at the high school. Prior to that, Adair-Casey High School hosted a career fair for students for several years, according to AC/GC business teacher Jennifer Betterton. However, due to the pandemic, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 editions of the career fair were postponed.
“We started doing it in 2017,” Betterton said. “We really started separately as A-C and Guthrie in ’14 or ’13, I can’t really remember.
“But then we had Guthrie come down to A-C and have all the kids get together and do the career fair all at the same time. I think that might have been ’16,” she said.
The 2023 edition of the career fair hosted multiple businesses from across Guthrie and Adair County as well as several colleges and branches of the U.S. military. Each session met for approximately 30 minutes, giving students the ability to hear about the career field, what the pay for the field would be, as well as the outlook for the field.
“We had 30, 35 (businesses), somewhere around there,” Betterton said.
She said some of the speakers were former alumni of Adair-Casey High School, or Guthrie Center High School. At least one of the speakers was an AC/GC High School graduate.
Betterton said student feedback over the event was good, as was businesses feedback.
“They were excited to come and help,” she said of the businesses. “We’ve already had a few who’ve said, ‘We’d like to come back.’”
Betterton said she, and Zach Brandt, AC/GC High School’s other business teacher, are discussing doing the 2024 edition of the career fair sometime in the winter to allow area farmers to speak to students who may be interested in agriculture as a career.
