Benjamin prides itself on being a college preparatory school, and that’s not just lip service. Even at the middle school level, students gain invaluable experience in regard to preparing for the interview process at the collegiate and professional levels. This takes place during the annual Career Day event which, this year, was held on February 24.

Each grade level receives a different experience. For example, the sixth graders were given training to ready them for Biztown, a simulated city sponsored by Junior Achievement which was set up in the gym on February 24. In BizTown, the students worked, earned money, and ultimately tried to pay off the business loan they received from the bank. Students held various jobs at such businesses as McDonald’s, Publix, BB&T Bank, and a radio station. Earlier that week, the sixth graders took classes with the sixth-grade teachers who taught them how America’s free market economy works.

“Biztown is a great program [because] it’s a hands on experience for the kids,” said middle school math teacher Mr. Ed Chaplin, who organized the BizTown training and job placement for the sixth graders. The students also enjoyed the experience and had fun taking part in the simulated economy. “I liked the breaks in Biztown because we got to shop, eat, and visit other businesses,” said sixth grader Gabe DiFilippo. For the seventh and eighth graders, Career Day pretty much meant one thing: interviews. The seventh graders spent their weeks leading up to Career Day preparing their resumes and interviewing skills for a mock interview with college admission officers (aptly played by upper school students), while the eighth graders prepared for a job interview with a representative from one of several companies.

It was an edifying experience for the seventh and eighth graders who will eventually have to prepare for such interviews in the near future.
“It was very hard because we had to prepare a lot for [the interview] with writing the resumes and things,” said seventh grader Cameron Salehi, “but I feel it prepared me for the future because now I will go into an interview with more confidence.” Salehi interviewed with Sarah Campanella ’17 who was representing Stanford University.

Mrs. Loretta Corey, who has spent the past several years organizing and coordinating the Middle School’s Career Day, was happy the students were successful in their interviews, but she was not surprised. “Our students in seventh and eighth grade do very well with their interviews because the preparation starts the week that I work with them, and every year it gets better and better,” said

Corey, who also serves as the Middle School’s Student Council advisor.

The day began with an assembly in the Barker Performing Arts Center. This year’s guest speakers were Dr. Glenda Gunter, an associate professor and the program coordinator of the educational technology and eLearning program at the University of Central Florida, and Mr. Josh Fried, head of business development for Waze Carpool, a company owned by Google.
Both speakers talked about the rapidly evolving world of technology, and how creativity and ingenuity are so important in terms of business and education.

It was a great day for the students as they were able to gain invaluable experience. It was also a wonderful day for The Middle School as Career Day is yet another program that sets the Benjamin apart from other area schools. It just goes to show that TBS students, even those in middle school, are working hard to get a leg up on the competition when it comes to colleges and careers.