Be Pro Be Proud begins school tour

Anakin Bush/Fulton Sun photo: 
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe drives an excavator in a simulation at Be Pro Be Proud. The program began its tour of Callaway County high schools at North Callaway High School on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Be Pro Be Proud will be at New Bloomfield High School on Wednesday, South Callaway High School on Thursday and Fulton High School on Friday.
Anakin Bush/Fulton Sun photo: Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe drives an excavator in a simulation at Be Pro Be Proud. The program began its tour of Callaway County high schools at North Callaway High School on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Be Pro Be Proud will be at New Bloomfield High School on Wednesday, South Callaway High School on Thursday and Fulton High School on Friday.

Be Pro Be Proud began its tour of Callaway County high schools on Tuesday, offering students a look at technical career opportunities after graduation.

Be Pro Be Proud is a workforce development simulation experience housed in a 53-foot trailer. Inside are several simulation stations that showcase different technical careers. Students can participate in virtual reality experiences, drive a semi-truck and operate an excavator, among other simulations.

The program began its Callaway tour at North Callaway High School. It will be at New Bloomfield High School on Wednesday, South Callaway High School on Thursday and Fulton High School on Friday.

Approximately 1,500 students will get to experience Be Pro Be Proud throughout the week.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe attended the school launch event on Tuesday. While there, he sat in the driver's seat of an excavator simulation.

This is the first time Be Pro Be Proud has been offered in Missouri. It launched it Arkansas in 2016.

The program later expanded to Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. It will soon also be offered in New Mexico and Tennessee.

Tamara Tateosian, Callaway Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, said the process of getting Be Pro Be Proud to Callaway County began at a conference last April.

In June, Tateosian was among a group who attended a conference for Be Pro Be Proud, where they learned about the program and got to tour one of the simulation trailers. The Chamber has been working to bring the program to Missouri since then.

She said the Chamber applied for a state workforce development grant, but was not awarded it.

"I think they hadn't seen it, so that was part of the problem," Tateosian said.

This week was chosen for the program as spring break is happening in Arkansas, she said.

"It's just been creating that partnership and relationship. The Callaway County Commission was very instrumental in helping us get it here, and so here we are today and this whole week. We're going to have all these students that are going through this bus or this simulator, and hopefully we spark some interest in skill trades," Tateosian said.

Nicky Kemp, North Callaway Superintendent, said she wanted to bring Be Pro Be Proud to North Callaway so students could learn about some employment opportunities that they would otherwise not be aware of.

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity for our students. They're going to learn that their are careers out there that they haven't even thought about, and may pull some of them to explore more into what's available," Kemp said.