The city of Lewiston hosted Groundhog Job Shadow Day on Feb. 2, with 17 grade eight Lewiston Middle School students taking part.

Eighth-graders shadow city workers

LEWISTON – “Today was the day I will remember when I choose a college,” said Lewiston Middle School student Jacob Cyr when filling out an evaluation regarding his participation in Junior Achievement Job Shadow Day hosted by city of Lewiston employees. Cyr shadowed Management Information Services Director Peter Bassett.

Ten city employees hosted 17 eighth-grade students on Feb. 2, with Councilor Lillian LaFontaine O’Brien kicking off the morning with an address. Greetings were also extended by Councilor Norm Rousseau. Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau provided an overview of Lewiston municipal government and answered questions the students had listed on their “Job Shadow Resume.”

The rest of the morning, the students observed the job duties of their respective workplace host, and at noon, a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the morning’s activities was shown to all participants.

Groundhog Job Shadow Day is a project of Junior Achievement of Maine, an organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise.

Nadeau noted, “The day was a great success, and two students, Dax Catalano and Holly Lavorgna, are now considering the positions of purchasing director and community relations coordinator for their future. The job shadow experience, indeed, provides visiting students with an insight into municipal government, and we were very pleased to host Lewiston Middle School.”

Students participating in the event were Matt Levesque, Holly Lavorgna, Saba Naji, Liz Dixon, Eric Colbath, Abby Blaisdell, Khadra Hirsi, Joy Harrington, Valerie Thompkins, Amber Langlois, Eric Morin, Mitchell Bennett, Chris DeFosse, Heather MacNeill, Dax Catalano, Stephanie Whitten and Jacob Cyr. Teachers Billie Jo Brito and Sue Grondin accompanied the students.

City of Lewiston employees participating were Electrical Inspector Gerry Caron; Community Relations Coordinator Dottie Perham-Whittier; Assistant Fire Chief George Merrill; Recreation Superintendent Joline Banaitis; Senior Staff Accountant Allen Ward; Police Chief Bill Welch; Treasurer/Investment Officer Paul Labrecque; Purchasing Director Norm Beauparlant; Deputy Library Director Karen Jones; and MIS Director Peter Bassett.