Fire marshal Justin Green shows sophomore David Vargas how to properly engage some of his firefighting equipment and gear.

Hundreds of seventh through 12^th grade students caught a glimpse of possibilities for their futures with the first-ever Career Day at Tharptown High School Thursday.

The morning-long event comprised three sessions: a career fair in the gym featuring booths set up by local businesses and industries; career planning and exploration activities with THS teachers; and a presentation portion, during which students rotated through a number of parent and businessmen presentations.

“They were able to bring in models and show things,” said THS teacher and parent involvement coordinator Maletha Walker. “Some of the presenters brought samples with them.”

Walker said students seemed to enjoy hearing from local professionals about their careers.

“Students really need a starting point, especially the younger students. Many of them have no idea what they want to do after high school,” Walker said. “This helps them plan for the future.”

Walker said she hopes next year “we’re able to get more parents involved and more area Franklin County businesses as well.”

Career fair coordinator Scott Vance said he also hopes for even greater participation next year, but added that although he had hoped this first event would be bigger, a smaller size actually turned out to be more manageable.

“It was a rocky start – we were a bit disorganized to begin with – but once we got going, I think it went well,” said Vance, who coordinated the career fair portion in cooperation with the Franklin County Development Authority.

Vance said primary goal was to “shed some light on the possibilities” for Tharptown students.

“Some of them live such a sheltered life, they don’t know what’s out there,” he said, adding that he hoped the business booths and presentations showed students “these are people who actually have a career, and this is how they became who they are.”