- November 30, 2024
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The school welcomed 25 different speakers on Feb. 20.
Breaking news: if you want to be a cop, math is really important.
At Tomoka Elementary School’s annual Career Day, students discovered how the academic lessons they were learning in class translated into different types of jobs — making the school work that much cooler.
After discussing footprints, blood splatter and DNA evidence, Ormond Beach Police Detective Tom Larsen told Jim Ravede’s fifth-grade class how what he learned in school came in hand when he was on patrol.
“Before I was a detective, I worked in traffic homicide, which is really bad car accidents,” Detective Larsen said. “I was amazed at how much of that was math and algebra, when you’re trying to determine factors, angles of the road and figure out speeds. I had to go back and take a math class before I could go get certified as an investigator.”
Detective Larsen was just one of the 25 local community members asked to participate in Career Day. School Counselor Jewel Johnson said they had every career covered from insurance agents to photographers to lawyers.
“I’m really happy with this year, because we have such a variety,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to help the kids to see how care to education plays into career. The speakers are talking a lot about why it’s important to be responsible and respectful in their particular careers.”
Detective Larsen and his partner, Detective Tara Kist, had the classroom captivated while they spoke about the different things they’ve had to do on the job, and the skills from school they’ve used daily.
“It’s important it is to pay attention to your teachers, what you’re taught and your english,” Detective Larsen said. “When I go write my report, I’m amazed when I reach 3,000 or 4,000 words. I realize this is why I paid attention in school. Every job will have you incorporate the skills you learn here, no matter what profession you take.”
“Kids need to see the variety of careers that are out there,” Johnson said. “They can see how what they’re learning in school ties to a career. Not just the academics, but the character development as well. They see how all of it is important to be successful in a career and in life.”
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