Oswego School District 308 to hold college and trade expo Thursday

On Thursday, Oswego School District 308 students and families are invited to explore opportunities for a future beyond high school.

The College and Trade Expo will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the main gym of Oswego High School, 4250 Route 71, Oswego. At the expo, the community will have the chance to learn about a variety of post-secondary education, training and career options.

Although the event primarily caters to District 308 junior and senior students and their families, students and college-aged individuals from neighboring communities are also welcome to attend.

When Oswego High School special education teacher Joe Franta created this event, he had a specific audience in mind.

“It is basically a college fair for the student who is not planning on attending a four-year college,” Franta said in a news release from District 308. “That could be, they’re more of hands-on learners, so they want to go into a trade or … they know they need to get some form of education or training to get a well-paying job.”

In its fourth year, an anticipated 60 exhibitors will be set up at the expo – a big increase from its first year, which hosted about 25 or 30 post-secondary opportunities, according to the release.

Representatives from nearby community colleges, local businesses and the United States Armed Services will be available to share their insight with those who attend this event.

In addition to providing opportunities for students, the event also serves as an opportunity to strengthen the school district’s community connections.

“It’s an awesome relationship between SD 308 and our community business partners that come out to support students,” Betty Augustine, a special education teacher and vocational coordinator at Oswego High School, said in the release.

While students benefit from creating pathways with various educators, recruiters, employers, and others, local businesses have the opportunity at the expo to strengthen their workforce and institutions can expand their student population.

For example, some District 308 alumni will be in attendance as small business owners.

“They are so excited to come back to the school district where they graduated and where teachers provided them with support and hope and a future,” Oswego High School math interventionist Dan Donohue said in the release. “They’ve created that future and now their kids are attending the school district and they are recruiting students from the school district.”

Over the past few years, staff members have received positive feedback regarding this event. For Franta, the highlight of each expo is hearing a student or guardian share how this led them down the path to their eventual career.

“That’s kind of the big outcome; that’s the big prize each year,” Franta said in the release. “That’s kind of what gives us the desire to put it on.”

More information about the College and Trade Expo is available at the district’s website at sd308.org.