Nearly 200 Greenville Elementary School students toured LBW Community College Thursday as part of Career and College Awareness Day.

The students, all fourth graders at Greenville Elementary School, had the opportunity to take part in interactive sessions led by the faculty at LBW that highlighted careers involving math and science.

LBW ensemble member Taylor Weeks also provided a mini concert for the students.

Pat McNaughton, assistant principal at GES, organized the trip.

“I wanted to bring them here and expose them to what college is all about,” she said. “I hope it will make them start thinking about and working toward the goal of going to college.”

Thursday’s trip to the campus was a first for a class from GES, and also a first for many of the students.

“Most of them have never been on a college campus,” McNaughton said. “On the way over one student asked me if they had science (at LBW). I told the student about the biology lab they have here on campus. So, even before we got here, they had a lot of questions and were excited about being able to come and see the campus and get an idea of what college is like.”

Butler County School Superintendent Amy Bryan praised the staff at GES for providing the students with the opportunity to gain exposure to higher education.

“I am impressed with the exposure to colleges and careers that GES has afforded their students this year,” Bryan said. “Today was the icing on the cake to get to meet the leaders of our local community college, visit their campus, and learn about math and science careers.  I was there to greet students and I told them that when I was in Greenville Elementary School in the 1970s, I don’t remember anyone introducing the idea of careers or college in the fourth grade and there was not an LBWCC campus in Greenville as an option.”