PARIS – About 109 Team 4 students from the Oxford Hills Middle School were away

from their classrooms for the morning on Feb. 24 as they were visiting local businesses learning about various careers.

During the school year, every eighth-grader is given the opportunity to participate in the Job Shadow Program. In all, more than 300 middle school students explore careers each year.

This is the 10th year of the Middle School Job Shadow Program giving students a chance to go into the community and work with an employee from any one of 60 businesses volunteering time for the program.

According to Maureen Howard, executive director of the Oxford Hills Community Education Exchange, students fill out a survey checking off different careers interesting them. It then becomes her job to match the students’ interest with a job site. One of the goals of the job shadow program is to increase a student’s understanding of careers available that match their interests.

We believe this experience will help our students make a more informed choice in choosing their high school course of study, she said.

Employers participating in the job shadowing program are in Norway, Paris or Oxford, making commuting time between the middle school and the businesses feasible as the students are at a site for about two hours.

New businesses participating in the program this year were Bader Physical Therapy, Patricia Chandler (artist), Community Concepts, Grover Gundrilling, Peter Hammond (railroad careers), Hanley and Associates, Magic Hands, McLaughlin Gardens, Michael’s Restaurant, Personal Best, SAD 17 bus garage, SAD 17 school psychologists, South Paris Fire Station, 2-B-K-9, Vintage Pantry Gift Shop, Western Maine Pediatrics, We’ve Got The Look, Whittier Law Office, Dr. Glen Wood and WOXO.

The Job Shadow Program is coordinated through the Oxford Hills Community Education Exchange. This was the last job shadow for this school year but the group is always looking for new sites for next year. If a business or organization is interested in participating in this and other programs of the Education Exchange, call Howard at 749-8972.