Sixty-eight seniors had the opportunity to visit 44 different businesses for Cool Week, Feb. 2-6. Cool Week provides a number of graduating seniors the chance to go to a job site in a career they’re interested in for several days.

“It is very impacting for the students,” Adcock said. “I’ve had students come back and say, I really didn’t understand what they did in that field and now I’m so sure that’s what I want to do.”

Interested seniors filled out an application and were matched with businesses partnering with the school district, ranging from veterinary clinics to news stations. Senior Sharde Iroanya spent Cool Week at the Bagdad Head Start program.

“I wanted to be a pediatrician so I went there to observe child behavior,” Iroanya said. “I had a lot of fun; every senior should do Cool Week.”

The participants visited job sites from two days to the whole week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some of the businesses even offer internships and jobs to certain seniors.

“The businesses are impressed with the quality and the caliber of the student they get,” Adcock said. “They are very impressed with the maturity and behavior of the student when they come in prepared.”

Cool Week provides students like senior Maddie Bonvillian, who went to the Cedar Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, the opportunity to experience what’s behind the scenes and provide a base idea about the job they’re interested in.

“I chose them because I want to be a nurse and my mom works there so it’s easy access,” Bonvillian said. “I’m loving every second of it. I’m learning how to take vital signs and how the physical therapy helps the residents.”

Besides gaining job experience, Cool Week is a way to learn the basics of a career and possible earn an internship.

“In the long run it gives the students more experience that they wouldn’t have otherwise to careers they wouldn’t have otherwise in a safe and inexpensive environment,” Adcock said.