Program helps elementary students explore who they want to be when they grow up

To most students at the elementary school level, college or career goals might feel distant. 

But one program at Alta Vista Elementary has been working to show students that the decisions they make along the way can shape their academic trajectories.

When Sarasota’s school district adopted College and Career Readiness as one of its strategic pillars, Kelly McWilliams, then an intervention coach at Alta Vista Elementary School, began thinking about how to implement that goal at the elementary level.

In about 2017, McWilliams, who is currently principal of Wilkinson Elementary, and her team launched a program based on the idea that students’ knowledge of life skills and their goals would impact their pathway through middle school, then high school. 

The school’s Students with Amazing Goals (SWAG) program serves fourth and fifth grade students with a focus on helping them prepare for middle and high school, and eventually college. 

With the school’s transformation into a K-8, beginning with the addition of sixth grade next year, it’s also a program that will have the chance to facilitate the transition into middle school . 

“I see them really maturing,” said instructor Tammy King. “Because when they first come, they just seem so young. They're just getting out of third grade, and it’s just like they have no idea. They're gaining new skills and holding themselves accountable for their what their future is. By the time they’re in fifth grade, they're like, ‘Wow, it's really up to me.'”

A look ahead

McWilliams said the program started with her own child nearing the end of elementary school. 

That led her to visit other middle schools to learn about offerings, such as the HAWKS Academy for Gifted and Advanced Students at McIntosh Middle School. 

“I did a little bit of research, and I was shocked, as someone who worked in the county for years, I did not know what's available to my child,” McWilliams said. 

While it's a chance to help students prepare for what lies ahead, it's particularly relevant due to Alta Vista Elementary's status as a Title I school, which means that at least 40% of students receive free or reduced lunch. 

As students gather in the classroom, and sometimes their SWAG Center modeled after a College and Career Center, there is talk of goals of a wide variety, both immediate and long-term. 

During an April visit to the class, many students were planning for a high score on their upcoming Florida Assessment of Student Thinking computer-based standardized tests.

But that isn't to say they weren't also enjoying the experience of the class along the way. 

“This is probably my favorite class,” said Clarissa Moreno, a fourth grader who wants to go into cosmetology through Suncoast Technical College. She said King “teaches us confidence.”

“Miss King is so much fun,” said Faith Bright, a fourth grader. She wants to go to the University of Florida to become a fourth grade teacher.

“I love it. I absolutely love it,” King said of the class. “It's like a passion that our kids really need to have, to be able to see their futures and be able to become good, successful adults when they finally get there.”

Although part of the program is about the journey toward college and careers, another aspect of it is life skills and other topics.

Photo by Ian Swaby

“Don't be asking mom to wake you up,” King said. “You need to get your alarm, and you need to wake up on your own."

In addition to getting themselves up, King encourages them to make sure that their backpack is filled and they're prepared each day for school.

The course is based around the concept of the “Four A’s”, which are attendance, accountability, achievement and attitude, and which King says provide students with the basics of what they need to be successful. 

Other aspects include guest speakers and field trips to locations like Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and Ringling College of Art and Design, with all program-related events fully covered by grant funding. 

Students close out the year with one project that takes a while: a vision board, a composite that involves cutting out or printing pictures and assembling them on a board with a vision of their future life. 

The year also ends with a parade, and a senior symposium in the cafeteria, where fifth graders can ask high school seniors questions about their journeys toward college.

Early ambitions

King says that when helping students decide on a career, there are lots of considerations involved, including when it comes to ensuring their goals are realistic. 

She says many students are more likely to find a trade than attend college, and thus she encourages Suncoast Technical College. 

“If I see somebody that's really good with hair or something, I'll go, ‘You know what? Cosmetology is really good,'” she said. “Or ‘STC has plumbing over here, or air conditioning and refrigeration. That's a really good job, and you can make really great money.'”

Photo by Ian Swaby

If students have a goal that isn’t realistic, she'll help them find a backup goal. 

For example, one student knows a lot about football statistics, she says, so she told them they would be an excellent football analyst, and thus could still be part of the NFL in the communications realm, even if they aren't able to play for the organization.

Amanie Tomlinson, a Booker High School sophomore who is currently on a pre-med track, has been involved in many initiatives over the course of her time in school. 

She attended SWAG starting in the fourth grade, then a similar program at Booker Middle School called College for Every Student, and now at Booker High School, is ambassador in the Booker High College and Career Readiness program. 

Her role involves helping seniors apply for colleges or enter career fields and create a goal for themselves.

She credits SWAG with helping inspire her current involvement.

Tomlinson plans on attending a four-year university, targeting Florida State University with a pre-med track or biology major, and later plans to apply to medical school with the goal of becoming a pediatrician specializing in oncology.

Her interest in the field was sparked by her mother being a nurse, as well as her love of kids. 

However, she said the healthcare field is broad, and the class helped her narrow her path.

Photo by Ian Swaby

She says she remembers learning about different types of nurses and their respective salary differences. She also remembers activities like outlining articles about the medical field and learning information about the medical profession.

“I think that it's great that they have that program starting with students young, because that gives them kind of a head start and gets them thinking about the different careers and professions," she said. "And it's not like a super serious program, where they have to make a decision on what they want to do right then and there. It just lets them know that they have so many different options out there.”

This story has been updated to attribute a quote and certain contextual information to Kelly McWilliams.