CAREER-MINDED KIDS\Highland High hosts government, law professionals.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Highland High School juniors L.V. Foster and Barbara Lewis listened intently Monday as Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Paul Ullman described the conditions of his job.

Sitting with teen-agers around a table in the school's library, Ullman told of life-threatening situations and working all hours in different weather conditions in a job that's never dull.

"Yeah, I like my job," said Ullman, a nine-year deputy. "This is a job where you never know what's going to happen next. You go to work, put on a uniform and anything can happen at any time, and it usually does."

Ullman was among the 40 professionals from the fields of government and law who participated in the Law and Government Academy career day at Highland High.

The group included a deputy district attorney, a deputy public defender, a judge, a deputy probation officer, a parole officer, a firefighter, a prison correctional officer, the city managers from Lancaster and Palmdale, and employees from city departments such as planning and public works.

The academy's nearly 90 students - all seriously dressed, some boys in ties, some girls in business suits - interviewed the professionals about their jobs, asking them questions about how much money they earn, the jobs' educational requirements and whether they enjoyed their work.

"It was very interesting," said Foster of Ullman's interview. "I learned something new. I thought the job would be easy, but you gotta work hard at it. It can be stressful. It's not a job where you can be calm every day."

The event was the culmination of the first semester's study in the academy, which is similar to the medical magnet program at Palmdale High and the computer magnet program at Antelope Valley High in that it offers courses that prepare students for careers.

"This makes school fun. It's geared toward capturing the students' interest in careers," said Anne Yale, the academy's coordinator who teaches English, civics and law. "When you have the kid's interest, suddenly the course is relevant. The curriculum hooks them into school."

Career day served as a final exam instead of a paper and pencil test, Yale said. "We can see just by watching the interviews if they can articulate clearly, if they have good speaking skills and if they dress properly for a job interview situation," Yale said. "It also gets them more information on a variety of careers."

Academy students must also turn in a report summarizing what they learned about the jobs through the career day interviews and research done on computers.

Through the academy, students fulfill graduation requirements and take courses that integrate law and government issues into academic and elective classes.

Students who successfully complete 50 credit hours of selected course work in the academy get a notation on their high school transcripts recognizing completion of a specialized program.

The academy also offers internships in which students rotate through different workplaces in Lancaster and Palmdale.

Extracurricular activities include mock trial competitions, hearing guest speakers from law and government and having professionals serve as mentors to students.

Leaughna Myers, a senior, said she talked to Palmdale Councilmen Jim Root and Terrence Judge, as well as probation and parole officers.

Myers said she aspires to run for office or work with children, by being a teacher or counselor.

"I really want to do a bit of everything and experience everything," Myers said.

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Photo (1--color) Vickee Barnett, far left, and Scott Groves, far right, join other Highland students Monday in career day events at the high school campus. (2--color) Students interview sheriff's Deputy Paul Ullman on career day. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News