The annual Classical School Job Fair will host 60 schools this Thursday.

“The main goal of the event is to connect excellent classical schools with some of our top Hillsdale students,” Career Services Project Manager Hadiah Ritchey said.

The event will take place in the Searle Center from 1 – 6 p.m.

“All schools given a spot at the job fair are aligned with Hillsdale College’s mission and have a serious interest in hiring Hillsdale College graduates,” Ritchey said.

Representatives of the schools will travel from all over the country. Trinity Classical Academy of Minnesota, Mystic Valley Regional Charter School of Boston, Golden View Classical Academy of Colorado, and Seven Oaks Classical School of Indiana are among the schools that will attend the fair. 

According to Ritchey, more than 130 students registered to attend the event.

“Every year, we have more students who are interested in teaching the good, true, and beautiful things they have learned here on campus,” Ritchey said. “Similarly, there is an ever growing classical education movement throughout the United States, and schools all over the nation want to hire Hillsdale graduates.”

Senior Jaime Boerema, a classical education minor, said she plans to attend.

“I’m going because I’m definitely interested in teaching and because I’m passionate about teaching and wanting to invest in the next generation,” Boerema said. “And I know this is an incredible opportunity to connect with schools.”

Ritchey, along with Operations Coordinator Amelia Lawson of the K-12 Education Office, organized the event. While Ritchey was responsible for arranging the campus end of matters and managing student registration, Lawson coordinated with the schools. 

According to Lawson, the event is open to all college students, but the invitation is only open to schools who wish to attend. While schools officially affiliated with the college automatically receive an invitation, a panel composed of the K-12 Education Office, the education department, and Career Services processes other school’s requests to attend the fair.

“More than 200 schools were interested in attending, but it was not possible to invite them all,” Lawson said. “This year we have 60 schools represented at the fair, which is the most we’ve ever had.”

“Classical schools want to come to this job fair because they want teachers who are liberally educated, mission-focused, leaders, and models of excellent character,” Lawson said. “This  certainly describes the profile of a Hillsdale College student.”

This will be the 17th year the college has hosted the classical school job fair, Ritchey said.

The college gives this event to further its mission of offering an excellent education dedicated to developing both the minds and hearts of students, Ritchey said.

“Hillsdale College cares about good education for college students, but also for human beings in every stage of life,” Ritchey said. “This is clearly demonstrated through the Hillsdale K-12 curriculum, among our numerous other initiatives. The classical school job fair serves our graduates and families all over the United States who trust our alumni to teach their children.”