By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City Middle School 8th graders were given a crash course over the last couple of weeks on what’s ahead for them.
Career Explorations teacher Rhonda Clendenin orchestrated a whirlwind collection of activities for the students, including freshman orientation, a tour of the University of Tennessee at Martin campus, and, finally, a visit to the West TN Job Expo in Ripley.
“When this group of 8th graders entered my classroom back in August, I told them we were looking to their future and the choices they’d have after high school,” Clendenin said. “Essentially, they have four choices after graduation: the workforce, the military, college, or TCAT.
“The last two weeks have been extremely busy for them as we’ve tried to fully introduce them to many of those options.”
The class ventured to the halls of UC High School prior to freshman orientation on Feb. 23. In the following days, students had the opportunity to sit with high school guidance counselor Susan Searcy and UCHS career counselor Lisa Carson to map their respective paths and set their schedules for the 2026-27 school year.
A few days later, the Union City Middle School contingent and a handful of teachers who served as chaperones toured the UTM campus. While there, they attended a performance of The Fantasticks as part of a day-long outing coordinated by Dr. Jeffrey Bibbee, who was a guest speaker at UCMS in the fall.
The group capped their busy schedule earlier this week with a trek to Ripley in what has become an annual event as part of the class curriculum. There, many of the 16 Career Clusters that had been a topic of class studies were represented at the West TN Job Expo.
Vendors set up multiple booths at the fair that included a wide range of simulations – from giving ‘shots’ to oranges to helping a cow give birth.
“It was a good two weeks,” Clendenin concluded. “Giving directives and instruction in the classroom is critical to choosing a career path, but so, too, are hands-on experiences with professionals who are currently in the workforce.
“This type of exposure to possibilities and opportunities that students might not know exist has proven to be very beneficial and opened many new doors for them.”