WATERVILLE, Maine — Eleven students from Hodgdon Middle-High School competed at the 26th Annual JMG Career Development Conference and once again brought home trophies for their efforts.
Held March 26 at Thomas College in Waterville, the Hawks won five trophies at the event. The team won a first place award for marketplace design; first place marketplace interview; first place online employment applications; third-place know-it-all; and fourth-place group challenge/decision-making.
Students who participated were Katherine Berube, Katie Ledger, Jessica Estabrook, Olivia Morris, Dylan Jurson, Dameon Sanders, Anna-Mae Sanford, Emma Nash, Lauren McGillicuddy, Skylar DeHahn, and Nallah King.
“It is always a memorable trip where our students, along with hundreds of others across the state, show up professionally dressed and demonstrating their skills through competitions in front of judges from our communities,” said Hodgdon JMG Specialist Jason Little. “JMG does an incredible job making sure that all the students are prepared and valued throughout their events. It is one of the highlights of the year and one that sticks with students for years afterward.”
Hodgdon’s students competed against 12 other schools in categories ranging from public speaking, group challenges, interviews, resume writing and marketplace design.
The Career Development Conference (CDC) is JMG’s largest student event with more than 600 juniors and seniors from over 40 Maine high schools participating. The event focuses on “celebrating year-long achievements in community service and distinction in career readiness; showcasing student achievements through day-long competitive — and fun — events; being recognized for excellence in the day’s competitions; and getting a jump start on the ‘real world’ with the confidence of knowing they can transition to work effectively.”
Students must dress professionally for the competition and have many opportunities to make an impression on potential future employers, Little said.
Junior Lauren McGuillicuddy competed for the first time at the JMG event.
“It was nerve-wracking at times,” she said. “But the overall experience was more fun than I anticipated. Basically everyone worked together.”
Senior Dylan Jurson participated for the second year and competed in the group challenge with others from his class. That challenge, which the group did not know about in advance, involved building a bridge with hot glue and popsicle sticks.
“We had 10 minutes to build it, and it had to be functional,” he said.
Junior Olivia Morris, who serves as president for the group, explained the thinking behind the group’s first-award for marketplace design — a miniature stairway that was constructed by the group and by students in Hodgdon’s shop class.
“Our whole thinking was to build a stairway to success,” Morris said. “Each step shows a goal for JMG, like community service, with photos on every step to exemplify how we reached that goal.”
