information provided by Marian Catholic Gigh School
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (April 27, 2020) – Each year in April, Marian Catholic High School hosts a Career Day, when alumni and friends of the school present information about their professions to students. Traditionally, this day happens on-site, with presenters physically coming to the school to talk to students about their careers, how they got into their fields, and what their day-to-day jobs are like.
Due to Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home and school closure orders, this year’s Career Day morphed into something new. The staff at Marian Catholic High School decided to take the day virtual, setting up Zoom sessions for each presenter and students who were interested in their particular career.
Organizers were amazed at the results. The number of presenters increased from 34 last year to 76 this year, enabling Marian Catholic to offer Career Day to all students, rather than just half the school as was previous practice. Students learned about such careers as human resources, architecture, collegiate coaching, banking, nursing, cyber security, and video game design from alumni and friends from coast to coast. Teachers and staff served as moderators, asking questions of presenters and allowing them to respond.
“This may well have been our most successful Career Day yet,” said Brendan Diamond, Marian Catholic’s Director of Alumni Relations. “Students had so many careers to choose from, a testament to the diversity of life experiences for which Marian Catholic prepares its students. But it couldn’t have come together without our incredible teachers and staff, who served as moderators, and the unflagging support of our Director of Instructional Technology, Sean Scanlon, who set up the logistics for the entire day.”
Will Marian Catholic utilize such technology even after the stay-at-home order expires? It’s possible, Diamond suggested. “We had such an incredible turnout of presenters for this year’s Career Day,” he said. “We will of course reevaluate after today’s success, but Marian Catholic is always looking for ways to innovate and use technology to better our educational aims. This is just another example of the way Marian Catholic is on the leading edge of educational technology.”
Marian Catholic High School is a Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory high school within the Dominican tradition of study, prayer, community, and preaching. Marian Catholic students seek truth, exhibit personal responsibility, cultivate their individual talents, and demonstrate ethical leadership and Christian service. Visit www.marianchs.com for more information.
