In addition to all the work that is done in our classrooms every day, there is a lot going on outside of class as well. Last weekend at the high school we hosted the Crystal Classic, an amazing exhibition of show choirs. On Saturday the high school will be busy again, as it will be the site of the third annual Summer Activities and Job Fair. This popular event, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., has a couple of appropriate subtitles, including “Fun in the Sun” and “Get Off the Couch!”

The purpose of the event is to provide a single place where students in grades six through 12 can come, with parents accompanying the younger students, and explore all sorts of opportunities for exciting and interesting things to do this summer. With gasoline costing what it does, the opportunity to do this without driving all over town shouldn’t be missed. Students and parents can talk to representatives from many different organizations and learn about camps, sports programs, library activities, educational programs, and much more.

One special feature, which isn’t really a summer activity but is always a big hit anyway, is SIDNE (Simulated Impaired DriviNg Experience). The Fairfield Police Department’s electric go-cart simulates the slower reactions of a driver who’s been drinking. Police officers can dial in the amount of “impairment” by remote control. Besides being fun, it’s also eye-opening. It’s part of a never-ending effort to help our newest drivers understand how to stay safe behind the wheel.

A neat aspect of this year’s fair is that our high school students are involved in a significant way. The Interact Club – a high school partner to the Rotary Club – has worked to publicize the event, recruit vendors, and will be doing many different jobs on Saturday. Our Business Academy students created much of the publicity material, and also helped design the program that will be handed to each person attending the fair. All of these activities will help make the event more successful. Moreover, the work that students did was directly tied to what they are learning in the classroom, or seeking to accomplish as part of an extra-curricular activity.

Our staff who worked on this told me it was fun to watch these students participate in the planning committee meetings. The students learned how committees actually work, how to keep meetings on track, and the importance of communication and follow-up in really getting things done. These are lessons that will be valuable for them in just about any future path they might follow – and they’re lessons that aren’t found in a textbook. 

The school district and the Fairfield Rotary Club sponsor the fair, and as I noted, there is a large committee that helps plan it. But three people in particular do a tremendous amount of work, and I would like to recognize and thank them for that. They are Dr. Fred Valerius, a Rotarian and the former superintendent of Butler County MRDD; Mandy Katz, one of our most active parents; and Jean Wesseler, the juvenile diversion counselor in the Fairfield Police Department. Without them, this valuable event probably would not happen.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, March 8, 2008