- December 13, 2025
Flagler Schools students stop at the business and nonprofit tables during the morning session of the College and Career Fair on Nov. 14. Courtesy photo
This Flagler County Unmanned Aircraft Systems drone flies along the beach and calculates how much sand is lost after a storm. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Between the Flagler Schools and public sessions at the College and Career Fair, the district held a sensory friendly hour for students with special abilities. District officials pose with FPC faculty and students. Photo by Brent Woronoff
A student during the public portion of the Flagler Schools College and Career Fair, receives instruction at the AdventHealth patient simulation tables. Photo by Brent Woronoff
This Flagler County Unmanned Aircraft Systems drone has a 7.5 foot wingspan and flies along the beach. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mark Stanley with Southern Illinois University. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Shara Brodsky: Sift and Sort professional organizer. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Over 800 Flagler County School District juniors and seniors were bused to the second annual College and Career Fair, presented by the Flagler County Education Foundation, on Friday morning, Nov. 14, at the Palm Coast Community Center. In the afternoon, the fair, was open to the general public so charter-school, home-school and private-school students could also benefit from information provided by representatives from colleges and universities, local government agencies and businesses and nonprofits.
“We want to thank our community, the Education Foundation, our families and the city of Palm Coast for allowing us to do this,” Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said.
There were 79 tables in three rooms where the students could speak to career and college experts. The morning session was hectic with the students going table to table to get their “passports” stamped as they engaged with representatives. Students with nine stamps were eligible to win $100 gift cards, said Maryiotti Johnson, the Education Foundation’s assistant director of finance and operations.
We want them to share in this great experience. We’re less concerned with where they’re being educated.
— LASHAKIA MOORE, Flagler Schools superintendent on the public session for students outside of the district
The afternoon session was also special, Moore said, giving students outside of the district an opportunity to learn about options that can help shape their future.
“We want them to share in this great experience,” she said. “We’re less concerned with where they’re being educated.”
The government room, Moore said, was important because it showcased opportunities where students could carve out careers locally.
One of those was Palm Coast Public Works which showcased careers for equipment operators. Employees who start out as ground maintenance workers can earn their commercial driver’s license within six months through in-house training and then train in-house for heavy equipment certification, said Benny Cope, a Palm Coast Public Works specialist.
The department maintains all of the county’s traffic signals and produces all local traffic signs in-house, Cope said.
Mike Baldwin, of Palm Coast Wastewater, educated students in what his department does.
“A lot of people don’t know what we do,” he said. “We have to educate that it’s a good career. Our benefits are good. We like to say we’re everybody’s Plan B.”
Seth Cribben, Flagler County’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems coordinator, demonstrated a selection of the department’s drones, including one with a 7.5-foot wingspan that flies along the beach and can calculate how much sand is lost after a storm. Other drones can look for hotspots with infrared in areas of wildfires and locate feral hogs and invasive plants, such as Brazilian pepper trees, for land management, he said.
Most of the colleges and universities represented at the fair have Central Florida campuses. However, Southern Illinois University also had a table. Mike Stanley, who lives in Jacksonville, goes to college fairs throughout Florida, representing SIU.
“There were a couple of kids who said they can only stay in Florida because of the scholarships here,” Stanley said. “But I was definitely impressed by the interest.”
Stanley said 25 students in the morning session filled out cards seeking more information about the school.
The U.S. Air Force and Space Force, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Coast Guard and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s ROTC program also had tables.
Students had good questions, Air Force Staff Sergeant Maysun Denhart said.
“They seemed to have a lot more interest in their futures than at other fairs I’ve been to,” she said.
Education Foundation Executive Director Teresa Rizzo said the most popular table in the business and nonprofits room was Chick-fil-A.
“Everybody wants to work there,” she said.
Jamie Viera and Laura Yeomans of the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium talked to students about careers in education. The NEFEC reps also highlighted the McKinney-Vento Program that covers tuition and housing at Florida colleges for students experiencing homelessness.
