NMS Conducts Career Day For Students

By Eliza Hallabeck

For eighth grade students Friday, November 7, brought many visitors through the doors of Newtown Middle School. More than 20 people came to present different career options for the students during a Career Day.

Each presenter was assigned a different classroom to use for the day, and students signed up for which person they wished to see.

“We started this with a career search in the computer lab,” said Kate MacKinney, a guidance counselor at the school.

During the computer lab, Ms MacKinney said the students’ abilities are matched with careers that use these same traits.

“They try to look at things they are interested in,” Ms MacKinney said.

Guidance counselors, she said, start telling students early in their eighth grade year that they will soon be applying for high school and signing up for elective classes, which could impact future careers.

As part of studying careers, the presenters were asked to come in to have three separate half-hour sessions with groups of students. Only three presenters were not parents of students in the school.

In the auditorium, Officer Andy Stinson waited with his partner and with Officer Lenny Penna, the school resource officer at NMS.

“I’m Officer Stinson from Newtown Police, this is my partner Baro,” he said as he introduced himself and the more than 100-pound dog next to him.

Baro is a police dog who, Officer Stinson said, has been trained to find drugs and perform other helpful practices for the trade. Baro, he said, can search for drugs anywhere, except on a human.

“He has found drugs everywhere, from vehicles to inside houses, to inside schools,” said Officer Stinson.

Baro is also trained to track down a person who goes missing, conduct building searches, and perform evidence recovery.

“He is my dog,” said Officer Stinson. “And he’s technically the town’s property until the day he dies.”

One student during the presentation asked Officer Stinson, “If someone attacked you, how would Baro react?”

“He would protect me,” said Officer Stinson.

Baro’s training began in the Czech Republic when he was eight weeks old, according to Officer Stinson, and he is a lot more relaxed when at home with Officer Stinson and his family.

As the finale to the presentation Officer Penna demonstrated how Baro responds to potential threats by wearing a special arm protector and allowing Baro to bite him.

“A good police dog bite, what you can consider good,” said Officer Stinson, “is a person is going to have a lot of broken bones.”

While Baro bit Officer Penna, on the protected area of his arm only, Officer Stinson demonstrated that Baro would not stop if Officer Stinson also needed to come close to someone who had provoked Baro. Officer Stinson also explained that Officer Penna had been trained to handle Baro’s attack. And Officer Penna may have felt pressure from the bite through the protective arm cover, but he would not be harmed by Baro, Officer Penna said.

Baro stopped biting Officer Penna with a quick command from Officer Stinson.

In another room Scott Gibney, a captain in the Navy, was giving an overview of what life is like in the military. He said he is the father of twins, Caitline and Tyler Gibney, who are in the eighth grade.

He began by describing the different college careers people in military service can choose from. “This is my 26th year in the United States Navy,” said Capt Gibney.

The presentation included “Reveille” or “the sound you will hear at 5 am to wake up.” Capt Gibney also brought souvenirs with him to give to the students, a slideshow and props, including a tool used for navigating ships at sea when communication and electronic devises go down.

“You will go in [to a military academy] and in four years,” said Capt Gibney, “instead of being a follower, you will be a leader.”

He discussed the option of following a career in the Coast Guard, the Navy and other divisions of the military for students.

“It’s not all fun and games, I’ll be honest with you, but it is very exciting,” Capt Gibney said.

He asked students to answer questions about the military, and for answering they received one of the souvenirs he had brought with him.

In a separate wing of the school musician and guitar instructor Peter Obre demonstrated a Fender guitar for students.

“The guitar basically works on magnets,” said Mr Obre between playing notes on the instrument, “they are called tune ups.”

Other presenters at the school included a representative from Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, an architect, an FBI special agent, a nurse, and many other representatives of different careers.