Kids Learn About Careers on Wheels

Students at got a hands-on demonstration from people who drive for a living as part of Careers on Wheels day on Friday.

Just days before the end of the school year, kids in kindergarten, first and second grades – as well as special needs students – got a first-hand account from police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors, utility workers, animal control and ice cream truck drivers.

L.W. Merck, with Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement, said he has been in his job for 25 years. From snakes to zebras, he has seen it all, he told the kids.

“My job is to get out there and get the animals who have bitten people, or might bite people or are just running loose,” Merck told the students.

He stressed that you need to have good spelling and grammar skills to write reports. You also need math skills to calculate medication dosages for animals, he said.

Extending a pole, he closed a loop on a child’s head to show how he controls an animal.

“It doesn’t hurt. He can’t bite me but I can control him,” he said.

In another demonstration, kids watched a garbage truck in action. Alan MacPherson with Republic Services, a waste management company, used a joystick to move an electric arm that lifts trash containers.

Georgia Power also had a bucket truck on site. Lineman Guy Cimorelli swung over the students’ heads in the bucket, as Brandon Baily, an engineer, advised kids to stay safe when using electricity.

Another favorite was the Blue Bell Ice Cream truck, with a door that opens on the side to distribute ice cream.

“It’s a little bit colder than your typical freezer at home just because the door opens and closes all day,” said Phil Hotchkiss, a territory manager.

And after his talk, everyone got popsicles.

Careers on Wheels has been held at Stripling Elementary since 2001, said Deborah DeSalvo, a school counselor.

“We want all students to be exposed to potential careers,” she said. “We find for the little children it’s better to show them something.”

As part of the kindergarten curriculum, students are also taught about “community helpers,” people who work in the service industry, DeSalvo said.

“They get excited about the bucket trucks, the equipment, the sirens, the noises and of course – the ice cream,” she said.