Eatonville Businesses Association, School Board host high school job fair

Eatonville Business Association partnered with the Eatonville School Board to host their first ever Job Fair, May 22 at the Eatonville High School Commons. The job fair was an opportunity for 30 local businesses to connect with over 200 high school students looking for summer employment or a career opportunity upon graduation.

The EBA is a non-profit organization that aims to promote and support local businesses in the Eatonville area. The organization has been working closely with the Eatonville School District to create a platform for businesses to showcase their job openings and for students to learn about the various career opportunities available in the area.

"The very best thing about this job fair is that it was student driven,” Eatonville School Board Director Ronda Litzenberger said. “Mayor {David} Baublits and I spent two days in March presenting to all EHS juniors, seniors and leadership classes about the value of student voice in town and school district civic issues. It was there that senior Matthew Moran told us that EHS had hosted college fairs, but that was not what he or his friends needed. He needed a job fair that would help him retain a job as soon as he graduated and wanted to know why that had never been done. His idea became a reality, thanks to the outstanding community support of Eatonville Business Association, local businesses, trade unions and town and state agencies."

Becky Crocker, Eatonville Business Association president, thanked the local businesses who supported the students with their job opportunities.

“It was inspiring to watch students connecting and engaging with employers,” she said. “Employers were taking student resumes, scheduling interviews and even interviewing and hiring on the spot. We’d also like to thank the Eatonville School district for partnering to provide this opportunity for both local businesses and students.”

The job fair was met with tremendous support from a diverse range of employers from different industries that came ready to hire. Students came armed with resumes thanks to Mrs. Powell and polished interview skills; some left with scheduled job interviews.

The job fair is just one of the many initiatives that the EBA has planned to support local businesses and promote economic growth in the Eatonville area. They would like to thank the following companies and agencies for partnering in this event that amplified student voice and helped fill the need of employers and students alike.