Twenty years ago, All Saints Catholic School opened its doors to elementary students. Fast forward two decades and the Sunrise school recently celebrated its platinum anniversary. To honor the milestone, they had their annual Career Day program. However, this one was different from the former ones; all presenters were to be school alumni.
Mrs. Karen Holewinski organized the anticipated event. She has been a beloved teacher at the school since 2000 so it was fitting for her to locate previous students. She was thrilled to learn of her former students’ ventures after graduating from All Saints. In keeping up with the tech-savvy generation of today, she contacted most of her former students through social media to ask them to participate in the Career Day program.
“I will always be thankful and appreciative for the education and values All Saints provided; kudos to the teachers, Mrs. McNamara, and Fr. Tony,” added Jan Rodriguez, a former All Saints parent.
The current students of All Saints had the opportunity to learn about a wide range of occupations from the former students of the school, including registered nurses, local police officers, a City of Sunrise firefighter, a paralegal, a teacher from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, news reporters, and even a former student that holds three world records in spearfishing.
Lauren Petrelli, a news reporter from Fox 4 Morning News in Cape Coral said, “I had the best time meeting the kids and getting to see my former teachers.”
Most All Saints graduates used PowerPoint presentations to explain their career while some played games. The ER nurse had students participate in an activity using UV light and GloGerm lotion to demonstrate the importance of proper handwashing. Anchor/Reporter Michael Cadigan of Spectrum News 1 in Kentucky created a special behind-the-scenes video about his workplace. A local policewoman allowed students to explore her police car, wear a bulletproof vest, and handle some tools.
The kindergarten students each drew pictures of their favorite presenters. Most drew pictures of the policewoman who many were intrigued by. “I want to be a police officer now,” said 5th Grade student Jessica Gonzales.
“It was a great day seeing all of my former students as adults in their careers,” exclaimed Holewinski.