Tyler Lucas, Lucas Perrego (hidden), Samantha Perrago and Nick Scott play with ooblek, a mixture of corn starch and water to give it a thick consistancy. Maj. Ted Kaiser, instructor in Chemisty and Life Science dept. encourges the children to dig in ...

West Point community members, employees, faculty and department heads celebrated April 23's Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, which has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of April, to enlighten their progeny on just what it is parents do all day. Most children will do almost anything for an excuse not to go to school, but some of them actually want to do what their moms or dads do.

"I've been thinking about becoming a beautician since I was 11," said Dawn Weygant, 14. Her mom, Valerie, is a barber.

"I think I'll be going to BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Service) in the 11th and 12th grade to train as a beautician. I would like to work at West Point, too."

Dawn comes from a long line of beauticians. Her mom, aunt and great-grandmother are beauticians.

"I am very excited that my daughter wants to come here to work and be an artist," Valerie Weygant said. "I've been here for 26 years."

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day' began as Take Your Daughters to Work Day in 1993 and is also known as Take Your Child to Work Day.

The program is an educational tool designed to expose children to the many different career options and possibilities available in the workplace.

It also exposes children to what a parent does during the work day, balancing work life with Family life, according to www.daughtersandsonstowork.org.

West Point has encouraged parents to bring their children to work in the past, but this is the first time that so many activities were set-up for the day.

"We decided to set up events for this nationally celebrated event because it hasn't been done in a long time (here)," Col. Daniel Bruno, garrison commander said. "It's also an especially appropriate time to do this, as April is the Month of the Military Child, so it adds another activity to all the others we have been doing to recognize our children during the month." The event also occurred on Arbor Day. Children from the Child Development Center planted a tree April 15 in honor of Arbor Day.

Samantha Karchmer, 10, went to work with her great-aunt, Jude Jurutka, a human resource specialist in the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, and was put to work immediately making double-sided copies for the branch chief of labor management employer relations, Cecilia Kampsula.

"I have a variety of interests so I haven't really thought about it much," Karchmer said. "I do want to work at West Point though."

The Vet Clinic held an informational event with veterinarian Capt. Dixie Burner and vet tech Spc. Staci Manan who spoke with the children about taking care of their pets and walked them through what a surgical procedure would involve, displayed an X-ray of a cat with a tumor on his neck for the children to see. Children had the chance to interact with the Army mule mascots--Raider, Ranger II and General Scott (known as Scotty)--who were in their stalls.

The Chemistry and Life Sciences dept. had hands-on displays such as ooblek, a mixture of corn starch and water; freezing marshmallows in liquid nitrogen; and shooting plastic bottles at a stuffed goat that resembled Navy's mascot for the children to try. The West Point Club offered a special lunch for them, and the West Point Museum offered a guided tour.