Brown County High School students are ready for the future after the 2023-24 annual P.O.P. Festival.

P.O.P. stands for Pursuing Our Purpose, and the festival allows students to learn about different career options. This also includes the chance to explore what the students want to pursue after high school, like college, career or joining the military.

P.O.P. Festival is run by BCHS science teacher Allison Gootee, BCS Work-Based Learning Coordinator Megan Connelly, two student leaders Shauna Custard and Taylor Lucas and a committee of dedicated students.

P.O.P. Festival took place on March 28, when students had the entire school day to visit six different workshops where different volunteers talked about a variety of life skills and careers, as well as giving the students a chance to visit a college and career fair held in between workshops. The workshops offered included different skills such as gardening, how to write a strong resume and learning valuable interviewing skills. It also offered career-based workshops, including how to build a small business, the ins and outs of a graphic design career and the chance to learn more about theater and film industries.

The workshops are taught by different members of the community and leaders of different occupuations ranging from the chief of police to a commercial financial analyst.

This year’s P.O.P. Festival was introduced with new workshops and doubled the amount since last year, which has been one of the goals for the growth of the event.

“P.O.P. Fest is very special to me, it is something that I wish I had experienced as a high school student,” Gootee said. “It makes me very excited that we can offer these opportunities to our students, so they can make informed decisions about their future.”

Gootee said that she is very thankful for all of the community members who volunteer their time to help, as well as all the support the P.O.P. Festival has received through the years.

With more fun things and growth to come to the event, Gootee has said she hopes to keep the P.O.P. Festival as an annual event for future years.

Lillee Sheckles is a senior at Brown County High School and offers regular reports on happenings in the school.

Lillee Sheckles is a senior at Brown County High School and offers regular reports on happenings in the school.