Students from ACOVSD sixth grade classes visited Church 180 on Friday, May 9 for the 2025 Career Fair. Students had the opportunity to explore future careers in a fun and interactive environment. One of the highlights for students was the robot brought by representatives of Shawnee State University. (Photo by Amy Jo Queen)
State Representative Justin Pizzulli attended the event and interacted with students and vendors. Pizzulli’s appearance underscores the importance of early career engagement opportunities for young students. (Photo by Amy Jo Queen)
By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
On Friday, May 9, Church 180 in Seaman transformed into a hub of curiosity, creativity and career discovery as the Adams County/Ohio Valley School District (ACOVSD) hosted its 2025 Sixth Grade Career Fair. This district-wide event brought together students from North Adams, West Union and Peebles Elementary Schools for a full day of interactive career exploration.
Each elementary school attended in staggered time slots to maximize engagement and ensure every student had the chance to fully experience the more than 30 participating organizations. North Adams Elementary students kicked off the day, followed by West Union, and Peebles Elementary students closed out the afternoon.
The fair, now in its ninth year, was originally the brainchild of North Adams Elementary social studies teacher Emily Young. But this year marked the first time it was expanded to include all three elementary schools in the district. That expansion was no small feat—and it was made possible through collaboration and community support.
“Well, this is my ninth year doing a career fair. Initially, it was just North Adams students,” Young shared. “This year I was asked to coordinate it for the entire district. We wanted to make it bigger and better, so we held it at Church 180. I involved our future planning ladies, and they helped bring in some contacts I didn’t have before. And this is what we have today.”
What they had was a vibrant, hands-on exhibition of possibilities, from healthcare and engineering to law enforcement, journalism, cosmetology, and public service. Students had the chance to explore booths from a diverse range of industries, with businesses and organizations like First State Bank, Kenworth, ACRMC, Ohio Means Jobs, the Adams County Health Department, Seal-Tite, Barry’s Chevrolet, GE Aerospace, The People’s Defender and more all represented.
Looking for the rest of the story? Of course you are! Look no further than the May 14 edition of The People’s Defender. Pick up your copy in any village of the county or even better, get your year-long subscription started today and you’ll never miss any of the region’s best news and sports coverage. Call (937) 544-2391 to get the Defender delivered every week right to your mailbox!
