HJHS eighth grader Danny Flores, left, works with a robot under the directions of Paul Wilhite, center, at the Career Expo. | Clif Knight

Eighth grade students from junior high schools throughout Morgan County were introduced to career opportunities offered by some 30 businesses, industries and governmental entities represented at the second annual Career Expo at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion in Decatur Thursday.

Students were upbeat about the expo.

“This can help me make plans for my high school years and give me a head start on a career,” said HJHS student Andrew Blankenship.

Its purpose was to give students a hands on opportunity to begin serious planning for a four-year career path in high school.

The expo was attended by 1,400 students representing eighth grade classes in Decatur City, Hartselle City and Morgan County School systems. It was sponsored by the Workforce Development Committee of Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce and supported by more than 50 local businesses.

“It gives me knowledge of what I want to do in life and will help me choose the right courses to take in high school,” said HJHS eighth grader Luke Godsey.

Earlier in the school year, students demonstrated their career interests and aptitudes by taking a Kuder Test.

“This is a great venue and a great event,” said Hartselle Schools Superintendent Dr. Vic Wilson. “It really helps the kids decide what career path they want to follow in high school and also puts our guidance counselors in a better position to assist the students.”

“The expo is part of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Program,” said chamber president John Seymour.

“We have 30 employers represented here today,” Seymour said. “The whole idea is to partner with education and business so that our young people will be prepared to fill jobs that are available in Morgan County when they complete high school and college.

“We try to make the program as interactive as possible to hold the student’s interest and let them have some fun while they’re learning about different career paths,” Seymour said.

Eleven career clusters were set up and manned by volunteers during the three-hour expo. They included law, public safety, corrections and security, business management and administration, finance, architecture and construction, education and training, transportation, distribution and logistics, hospitality and tourism, health science, science technology, engineering and mathematics, agriculture and food, human services and arts audio/visual technology and communications.

“It will help me decide what I want to do after high school,” said McKenzie Mitchell.

Parker Yoakum, left, and Damon Villagouer, HHS students, work a word search puzzle at Career Expo’s Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources cluster. | Clif Knight

A Calhoun College professor talks with HJHS’s Mackenzie Jackson, left, and Kate Johnson about career opportunities in health science at the Career Expo. | Clif Knight

HJHS eighth grader David Hayes, left, gets set to fire a rocket at Career Expo under the guidance of Tim Nitchen of United Launch Alliance. | Clif Knight

“Bear,” a Decatur Police Department search and rescue dog, chases officer Nick Hill during a Career Expo demonstration conducted by Sgt. Kyle Shelton. | Clif Knight

Hartselle Junior High School’s Bryley Eversoll, Abbie Drake and Grace Drake participate in a safety race at Career Expo’s Education and Training Cluster. | Clif Knight