2008 USAFE Job Shadow Day

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Dailey-Perkins
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe School Liaison Office
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  U.S. Air Forces in Europe installations will observe Job Shadow Day on February 1, 2008 with the theme "Connecting Classrooms and Careers." In partnership with Department of Defense Dependents Schools - Europe (DoDDS-E) students and home schooled students will have the opportunity to see the world of work close up and connect their studies to the workplace.

Military members and civilians across USAFE are getting ready for potentially 15,000 students to participate in this year's Job Shadow Day which is taking place in conjunction with the 12th Annual National Groundhog Job Shadow Day sponsored by the Department of Education and Department of Labor.

Job Shadowing is not only fun and educational but crucial for continued military achievement. "By showing students potential careers in the Air Force we are forming future leaders and guaranteeing future mission success," says Col Dennis DeGraff, HQ USAFE, Director of Staff.

Personnel across the USAFE command will mentor students and show them the routine and rigor of a regular workday. Students will experience first hand how core classes such as reading and mathematics are fundamental in being successful in the workplace.

Mentors receive a sense of personal satisfaction that comes from impacting a young person and teachers use this experience to motivate students to learn by demonstrating how classroom curriculum is transferred in the workplace.

To reinforce the partnership between classrooms and careers, the HQ USAFE School Liaison Office will sponsor an essay contest in the weeks following USAFE Job Shadow Day. Students in grades 6-8 are invited to write an original essay on "What I Learned on Job Shadow Day and How It Will Impact My Future Career."

In the two weeks following Job Shadow Day, DoDDS-Europe middle schools will work on the essays in language arts classes. Students attending school on a USAFE installation or who are home schooled are encouraged to participate. Essay submissions must be emailed or dropped off at the local installation School Liaison Office by February 19, 2008.

Each USAFE installation will announce its essay winner on February 22, 2008 and forward its winner to the HQ USAFE School Liaison Office to be considered for the USAFE grand prize that will be announced on February 29.2008.

For more information on the HQ USAFE Job Shadow Essay Contest or to participate in other scheduled 2008 USAFE Job Shadow Day events, please contact your installation School Liaison Office.