The variety of career paths and job opportunities for students attending Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools and Nash Community College was spotlighted Thursday in the college’s Brown Auditorium.

The Career and Technical Education Showcase Open House drew more than 900 students in eighth through 12th grade as well as their parents, giving them a taste of vocational classes in the school district that align with programs offered at Nash Community College.

From extinguishing fires to learning CPR to tasting the cuisine of Nash Community College’s culinary students, participants had more than enough to do as representatives from local businesses industries manned more than one hundred booths and demonstrations loaded with information.

“Before we began hosting the Showcase, middle school and high school students and parents always asked about Nash Community College’s vocational programs. Sometimes emphasis is given to the four-year university track, and students and parents are left wondering about other options,” Nash Community College Associate Dean of Student and Enrollment Services Wil van der Meulen said. “We realize parents are a huge factor in determining the plan for their child. That’s why we want them to see firsthand, the options their students have, in both vocational education and college transfer.”

Students were presented with a vast array of career opportunities including machining, agriculture, criminal justice, cosmetology and nursing.

The event also is designed to show the community the close ties between the school system and community college, and how high school classes can dovetail perfectly into those at the higher education level, said Pamela Lewis, Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools executive director of Career and Technical Education.

“We have everything and everybody here today,” Lewis said. “We wanted to make sure that whatever areas we had at the high school, we paired it right beside the community college level. We also wanted to bring in our businesses that have supported our students in the past through apprenticeship programs and job shadowing.”

Lewis said Gov. Bev Perdue’s statewide “Career and College Promise” program, set to begin next spring, will provide high school juniors and seniors with unique opportunities to enroll in community college to earn a certificate, diploma or degree in a shorter amount of time. The school district is in the process of preparing for the program’s implementation.

The event wasn’t confined to Brown Auditorium, as several outside demonstrations were held, including a high angle rescue operation demonstration by emergency personnel in addition to a Nash Community College lineman climbing demonstration.

“We congratulate the Career and Technical Education staff for an outstanding display of the vast array of opportunities we provide for our students on a daily basis,” Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson said. “It is critical for us to demonstrate for parents, students and the community that we are offering all students choices and options in their studies so they will be prepared for a future which many of us cannot imagine. We are pleased and proud to partner with Nash Community College and its outstanding staff.”