College and Career Day at Genesee Elementary School
On Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017, Genesee Elementary School of Auburn, NY hosted their first Career and College Day, and Johnston was among the lucky group of native businesses and business people that were invited to participate.
The event was held within the classrooms of the local elementary school, and all grade levels (kindergarten through the sixth grade) participated. The third grade warmly welcomed Johnston’s Tom Lewis (CFO), Morgan Festa (HR Manager) and graduate of Genesee Elementary, Dave Colbert (Director of IT), into Nick Musso’s classroom, where the students both listened tentatively and asked thoughtful questions about Johnston’s daily operations, our staff and other personal career and education-focused queries regarding their paths that landed them at Johnston.
Tom Lewis kicked off the morning’s discussion with a brief historical timeline of Johnston, mentioned our business-to-business relationship with what the students would recognize as local and relevant companies (such as Wegmans) and talked about where Johnston operates and where drivers (“even women”) take their routes for deliveries.
Some things Dave chatted about were his time spent at Genesee Elementary from kindergarten through fifth grade, who his teachers were, his educational journey that led him to Johnston, why he pursued IT, and even what street he grew up on.
Morgan discussed her role at Johnston as the manager of Human Resources, the different types of jobs within Johnston, how we like to tap into the local community to hire, and (most importantly) the parties and workforce improvement events, such as Bring Your Dog to Work Day, that make Johnston a fun place to be.
Many questions and topics were brought up, but our favorite was one astute comment in particular that alluded to the importance of team work and friendship.
Tom concluded the visit with some wise words of advice: “Never be afraid to ask questions. Don’t think small, think big, and don’t ever let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something.”
A No Excuses University
Genesee Elementary was accepted into the No Excuses University Network in August 2009. Career and College day at Genesee was part of a college and career readiness program instilled within the No Excuses University Network’s philosophy.
The No Excuses University Network is comprised of over 180 schools across the United States that has adopted the philosophy of “No Excuses” for academic success of students. This philosophy is based on two principles:
- Every child has the right to be prepared to attend college.
- It is the responsibility of adults in the school to develop exceptional systems that make dreams a reality.
“We believe, at Genesee, that all children can succeed, regardless of the challenges they face. It is our hope that students, staff and parents will embrace this unique endeavor.”
