Catasauqua Middle School held its annual Achievement Night May 7. Achievement Night is always an opportunity for families to come and see what their students have been working on.

Hallways were lined with examples of the students’ projects and artwork, and families were able to celebrate and enjoy the academic achievements and explorations of the students. The events also included hands-on activities, light refreshments and the Scholastic book fair.

There was also a student-run science fair, a new component to the evening. These student-led experiments and innovations were organized by the school’s chief science officers.

Another new addition this year was the Pathways to Your Future career expo. Students had the opportunity to talk with professionals from a number of industries to explore different career options.

Lehigh Valley Health Network represented the health sciences; First Commonwealth Credit Union represented business; Alloy5 represented architecture, manufacturing and construction; Henkels and McCoy represented food, agriculture and natural resources; NestMed represented STEM and IT; Lehigh Career and Technical Institute represented education; and ArtsQuest and Lehigh Valley Press represented arts, media and communications. Additionally, representatives from Lehigh County covered human services and government, and North Catasauqua Police Department officers talked about law and public safety.

The new career expo came as part of CMS’ addition into a new pilot career readiness innovation program, which will help build on the efforts already underway in the district.

“This is always a special evening, and we are thrilled to build upon it with some new and engaging career awareness and education opportunities for our students and families,” Catasauqua Area School District Superintendent Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling recently said while announcing the new career readiness program. “Catasauqua Middle School’s Achievement Night brings families together to celebrate a year of academic growth, a student-led inaugural science fair and an interactive expo that bridges the gap between the classroom and eight future professional pathways.”

Kim Flueso, CASD K-12 career connections coordinator and event organizer, was pleased with the turnout. She said she was happy to see smiling families and the students having engaging conversations with the different industry professionals.