Students showcase work placements at KDSS co-op job fair

By: Liz Dadson June 9, 2026 383

Students showcase work placements at KDSS co-op job fair

Kincardine District Senior School hosted its spring Co-operative Education Job Fair, Tuesday, June 2, in the school library.

The event featured a number of students with displays about their co-op work placements and what they learned during their semester in the program.

Kaitlin Ferguson, Grade 11, brought her family friend's dog, "Beau," as part of the display about her placement at the Ripley Vet Clinic. While she wants to become a vet, she also plans to take a kinesiology course at KDSS for physiotherapy, and then decide which career most suits her.

"They didn't manage to gross me out too much at the vet clinic," said Kaitlin, with a laugh. "The only real challenge to becoming a vet is that there's only one school in Ontario and it's hard to get into."

The highlight at the vet clinic was watching surgery, including the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs, and eye nucleation on a barn cat.

Grade 11 student Avery Yule had a placement in the Kincardine tourism department where she learned the process for event-planning and then attended the events.

"I'm considering the tourism industry and public relations," she said. "I enjoyed this co-op. It was a nice mix of planning the events and then conducting them to see how everything came together in the end. And I now have a job this summer with the tourism department."

Avery is taking another co-op next yet and is likely going to Fanshawe College for public relations and business administration.

Gracey MacIntosh, Grade 11, did her placement at Joint Physiotherapy in downtown Kincardine. Not only was she working there, she was also a client, after breaking her arm playing hockey.

"I'd like to become a physiotherapist and help people get better," she said. "Over the weeks that I was there, it was great to see the clients improve."

Grade 11 student Adalee Turland also wants to become a physiotherapist. Her placement was at the Kincardine Hospital inpatient physiotherapy department.

"We worked with a lot of elderly people," she said. "It was great to see them getting back their range of motion and mobility, especially after surgery."

Hadlei Clark, Grade 11, completed her placement at The Hair Connection in downtown Kincardine. While she enjoyed the work, she is now considering a career in nursing.

"My mom is a hairstylist and it's been a big part of my life," she said. "It's a lot of mental and physical effort and I'd like to do it as a hobby. Next year, I plan to do a four-credit co-op for nursing at the Kincardine Hospital."

Meanwhile, she will be working part-time at The Hair Connection, starting in the fall.

Beckett Graham, a fifth-year student, did his placement at Superheat in Kincardine. While he learned a lot and enjoyed the experience, he wants to become a millwright.

He was offered full-time employment at the company and plans to work there during the summer.

Grade 11 student Bella Woods brought "Raven," whom she dog-sits twice per week, with her as a prop for her display about her placement at Queen Street Veterinary Services in downtown Kincardine.

"I've wanted to be a vet technician since I was 10 years old," she said.

She hopes to get into Northern College in Haileybury, northeast of Sudbury. There, she can complete the two-year course to become a vet tech and then take a third year which focuses on exotic animals.

KDSS co-op education teacher Dan Ogilvie said there were about 70 students involved in the co-op program this semester, from February to May, and he has 150 students already enrolled in co-op for the 2026-27 school year.