Career Pathways

'Career Pathways' is a career exploration exercise for eighth graders conducted yearly by the Carnage Business Alliance. It is aligned with the 11 career pathways that have been identified by the state of North Carolina and guide registrations for high school programs. Speakers representing several career fields address Carnage students about their respective jobs. While many of their career fields may blend with other career fields, the following list includes the eleven 'Pathways' identified by the state of North Carolina. It also represents the range of professions shared by many of the speakers chosen each year:

• Agricultural
  
• Arts
  
• Biological / Chemical
  
• Business
  
• Commercial
  
• Construction
  
• Engineering
  
• Health
  
• Industrial
  
• Public service
  
• Transportation

  These speakers make the connection between how school is relevant to the world of work. Click here to view a list of last year's speakers. You will need Adobe acrobat reader to view the list, because it's a .pdf file. To see pictures of last year's Pathways preview, please click here.

Community Connections

In order to give the students an accurate reflection of the working world, the Business Alliance must be actively connected to its' community through business relationships and programs. Please note that the following list is not all-inclusive, and that programs are added or changed as necessary.

Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA). The Carnage PTSA helps support tutoring, reward programs, enrichment programs, and field trips. Their annual fundraiser pays for enrichment programs such as entry fees for competitions and materials for elective and core classes.

IBM Partnership. During National Engineers Week, students have the privilege of programming robots, making bubble gum, and designing buildings with hardware and software engineers.

Cyber Cafe. Cyber Cafe debuted during the winter dance of 1999 as part of the school's community outreach program. Instead of driving back home after dropping off their children at dances, parents visit the Carnage Media Center for some refreshments, surf the internet, and use library resources for research and relaxation. An instant success, the Cyber Cafe is open to parents and siblings during all dances, as well as for other special events.

Carnage Middle School Business Alliance. The Business Education Leadership Council (BELC), or Business Alliance, is composed of over 500 Triangle area businesses that are in long-term realtionships with a specific middle or high school. Their goal is to help both teachers and students connect a traditional classroom education with the world of work. BELC recruits local businesses to form relationships with a middle or high school. Between six and twelve businesses, along with the school administration, make up an alliance.