On Wednesday, despite the cold and snowy weather, about 150 students packed the main barn at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds for this year’s Montelores Futures Fair, organized by the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.
Students milled around 65 tables along the edges and in the middle of the barn’s arena, asking questions, filling out their Futures Fair passports and participating in demonstrations and activities.
At the entrance, Tai Rogers, manager of the collaborative’s Work-Based Learning program, explained the fair’s format and handed out passports outlining what students should look for. Completed passports were dropped into a box near Rogers to be entered into a raffle later this week.
After the raffle winners are chosen, Rogers will return the passports to their respective schools, where counselors and teachers can use them to engage students and learn about their interests.
Students from Mancos, Dolores and Dove Creek were represented, and Rogers said Mancos brought all of its eighth and ninth grade students.
Montezuma-Cortez students are no longer members of the collaborative.
Inside the arena, students hammered nails into wood blocks at construction booths as representatives offered guidance.
Other students engaged with booths from Clearnetworx, Farmers Telephone, Colorado Department of Transportation, Les Schwab Tires, City of Cortez, LOR Foundation, Montezuma Inspire, Alpacka Raft, Dolores State Bank, Southwest Health System, Montezuma Land Conservancy, Colorado Forest Service, Colorado State University, Eastern Arizona College and others.
At the Recreation Center table, students posed with a shark mascot offering stickers, pop sockets and candy.
Recreation Supervisor (Aquatics) Michelle Devall told The Journal that they’d had many students visit their booth, which she credited, in part, to the energetic shark. Both Devall and Ahnna Higgins said last year’s fair had helped grow interest in the Rec Center’s lifeguard program.
Recreation Supervisor (Aquatics) Michelle Devall told The Journal many students visited their booth, crediting the shark mascot. Both Devall and Ahnna Higgins said last year’s fair boosted interest in the Rec Center lifeguard program.
While they noted many students are intimidated by the required swim test, they will host Whistle Ready classes to help prepare. Whistle Ready classes run Wednesdays from Feb. 18 to March 11. Register at the Rec Center or online at bit.ly/WhistleReady.
At the Pueblo Community College Southwest table, STEM Academic and Career Expert Melissa Watters showcased two award-winning robots built by students in last year’s Space Grant Robotics Challenge.
Watters showed how students designed robots to stay stable on sandy, uneven ground and demonstrated other features. Seven students from Dolores and Cortez are enrolled this year.
On the far side of the barn, students met first responder and law enforcement representatives, including firefighters, the Community Emergency Response Team, Cortez Police Department, Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office and search and rescue.
Though students interested in law enforcement can’t enroll in the police academy until age 21, Public Information Officer Kelly Codner said students should build verbal and written communication skills, which are vital for the job.
At the search and rescue booth, Chuck Melvin introduced Quiddity, a Dutch shepherd who has completed 100 missions in 13 years.
Though Quiddity is “basically retired,” Melvin shared she still joins missions when needed because she “loves to work.”
At the Osprey table, students learned about bag repairs and tried sewing squares of old material.
The Futures Fair, sponsored by Clearnetworx, Careers in Construction Colorado, PCC Southwest, Tri-Hurst Construction, Dolores State Bank, Cortez Retail Enhancement Association and Four Corners Materials, included passport questions to challenge and inspire students.
Students asked organizations about jobs, training and more.
“Find an organization that interests you. Ask them to recommend three skills you should develop,” one prompt read.
“Ask anyone: ‘What advice would you give to have a successful future?’” and “Ask a business: ‘What impresses them the most when they interview someone for a job?’” were other prompts.
As the fair closed, students headed to buses, chatting about what they learned and dropping completed passports near the door.
