Every year, the PLCS school district puts together a vehicle day for all the first graders in the district; it is held in the Papio Bay parking lot. These first graders have the opportunity to ask questions and see all the different district vehicles. They are also able to go inside the vehicles.
When the students get off the school bus, they get into a straight line and are given a bag to put the company stickers on their shirts, drawstring bags, and pencils that were made for the students. Then the teacher calls the students’ names to put them into small groups with one to two parents.
There are also students from the zoo academy, education academy, and health academy that come and help out for this event. All the academy students get a choice of where they want to help out.
When the bus picks up the students at their school, students often think about what vehicles they will get to see that day. As they are pulling up to Papio Bay, they glance at all the vehicles and pick which one they want to go to first.
“I definitely enjoyed vehicle day, said Senior Jamelah Taylor. “It was not only a chance to help kids learn about the different vehicles but it was also an opportunity for me to learn about them as well. It was fun seeing all the little kids get so excited about the different cars and listening about what they are used for. I was stationed at the k-9 car with Matt Elsasser who is actually my coach so it was fun helping him out.”
On vehicle day there is the Papillion Police Department, the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, the Papillion Fire Department, and a lot of places. All the first graders spend an hour and a half going around to each vehicle, and getting more information about each one. The representatives from their work take time to show them around their vehicles and explain the career that it connects to.
At each vehicle, the students have the opportunity to ask questions, some of the questions that they ask are: What does your business do? How many people work at your business? How did you get started in your job? It is a great way to get more information about their job.
Questions give students the opportunity to see what it is like to have that job, and see if they would want to pursue that career when they are older.
When it is time to line up and get back on the bus and head back to their elementary school, the students are wanting to go back around to all the vehicles and look into each one of them again.
