As a controlled grease fire blazes in the parking lot at a fire hall in Surrey, Grade 9 student James McDonald eagerly volunteers to put it out.
He pulls the pin on a fire extinguisher and grips down on the handle to release the fire repellent inside. What looks like a cloud of dust promptly forms, encasing the fire. When it fades, the fire is gone.
Learning how fire extinguishers work and how to operate them was one of the several activities undertaken by Grade 9 students as part of the City of Surrey's Take Our Kids to Work Day.
Take Our Kids to Work is a national event organized by the Learning Partnership, a non-profit organization that champions a strong public school system. The goal of the event is to give students insight to the working world so they can start to determine the type of employment that may or may not interest them.
It also encourages them to consider the schooling they need for a profession, and gives understanding into the role of a parent to provide for their family.
The Delta school district takes part in the event every year, with Grade 9 students from all seven high schools taking part.
McDonald, a student from Burnsview Secondary, spent the day with the City of Surrey where his father is a firefighter.
"I want to be a firefighter when I'm older, so it's good to start now," he said when asked about his day.
"Experiencing your parents' careers gives you ideas of what you want to do."
This benefit is exactly why Valentini Brigham, a Grade 9 student from Delta Secondary, also decided to go with her dad to work for the day.
"It's good to see how people work," she said.
Brigham's father works for Triumf, one of the world's leading subatomic physics laboratories and Canada's national laboratory for nuclear and particle physics research.
Located on the UBC campus, Triumf houses the world's largest cyclotron.
The cyclotron machine accelerates negatively charged hydrogen atoms to three-quarters of the speed of light in order to extract protons. The protons are used for all sorts of research, including disease detection and treatment.
During her day at Triumf, Brigham was able to tour the cyclotron, as well as learn about some of the numerous research initiatives taking place.
"I hope she'll get excited about what we do here and will think science is fun," said Mike Brigham, Valentini's father. He believes Take Our Kids to Work is beneficial because it shows kids that work can be fun.
"It's good because there are really interesting jobs," he said.
More than 80 per cent of Delta's Grade 9 students took part in this year's Take Our Kids to Work Day.
