ONE PURPOSE — Students who are involved with the Indian Creek Middle School Sycamore Stars after-school program will hold a Reverse Career Fair on Thursday. The fair follows last month’s Meet-a-Professional learning day event, where community members visited students and spoke about their careers. On Thursday, those residents will return to the school and question the students on their final presentations. This collaboration includes state officials, community residents, an area school and a nonprofit organization, all working together for the purpose of teaching students about career exploration and innovation. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — A special collaboration has begun among the state, the community, one local school and an area nonprofit agency.

The Indian Creek Middle School Sycamore Stars after-school program is partnering with VentureLab to provide students with a curriculum for career exploration and innovation.

Last month, officials held a Meet-a-Professional learning day, in which community members visited the school and talked to students about what they do as their career.

The event was done through a speed meeting style, in which the professionals sat in a semicircle and students quickly rotated every five minutes to hear from each visitor about their various career or job in the community.

The students then had one minute to ask questions to each community member to learn more about that career or job.

According to Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the Sycamore Youth Center, this type of event was featured in the March Ohio Afterschool Network Entrepreneurship newsletter, giving them the idea to hold such a unique approach to learning.

This month, the Sycamore Stars will meet from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday for a reverse career fair. Some of the same community members who visited the school last month, will be returning this week to judge students on their final presentations.

Bauman noted the students have been working on their presentations all year long.

Each had to produce a trifold, along with a motto, logo and visuals, for their newly-created job or careers. They had to create their own business card; provide a detailed job description and will present an oral pitch to market their idea.

During the reverse career fair, those community members in attendance will judge the students’ presentations.

They will then vote for the Most Creative Career and the Most Remarkable Pitch. The winners of the two categories will receive a prizes and trophy for their achievement.

The program is a partnership between Bauman’s Ohio Valley Youth Network and Sycamore Youth Center, the ODEW Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant and Indian Creek Middle School Principal Holly Minch-Hick.

Students are being taught entrepreneurship mindsets. They are connecting with community members in various ways. And they are learning about careers and jobs during VentureLab.