Career Lab at MMS

09/16/2026

Students in our new Basic Builds elective are putting their learning into action!

After creating informational posters about the hand tools they’ve been learning about, students put their knowledge to work with some hands-on practice.

Students learned how to properly and safely use a hammer, including how to safely hold a nail, drive it into the wood, and pull it back out. They also tried driving a screw directly into a wood block and quickly discovered just how important a pilot hole is!

It’s one thing to learn about tools and techniques, but it’s another to experience them firsthand.
Today was full of hands-on learning, problem-solving, and plenty of “now I understand why!” moments.
🔨 🪛

08/29/2026

Exciting additions are coming to the Career Lab!
📐🔨 🔧🪛🔩🪵🥽

7 DAYS UNTIL WE START BUILDING! 🔨

A new elective this year, Basic Builds will introduce participating middle school students to foundational woodworking skills in a safe, structured environment.

It is one more way we are expanding hands-on learning and giving students new opportunities to discover their interests.

As we prepare for the year ahead, we look forward to building a successful school year together!

02/28/2026

As Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month comes to a close, we take pride in recognizing the impact these programs have on preparing students for future success. CTE continues to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed for high-demand, high-skill careers.

At Millstone Middle School, our Career Readiness program remains a cornerstone of this work, providing meaningful pre-vocational experiences that foster independence, problem-solving, and workplace readiness. Through hands-on learning and skill development, students are building a strong foundation for both continued education and future employment opportunities.

This year, we are especially excited to expand our offerings with the introduction of Financial Literacy as an elective for our 7th and 8th grade students. This course empowers students with essential life skills such as budgeting, saving, and responsible financial decision-making, tools that will benefit them well beyond the classroom.

We are proud to continue growing opportunities that prepare our students not only for careers, but for life.

01/12/2026

Students in our Financial Literacy classes recently completed a career interest survey to identify their top career clusters. They then explored potential careers within those clusters, researching required training and education, salary information, and unique facts about each role. We’re excited to highlight the many promising career paths our students are discovering!

12/22/2025

This year we switched up our winter centerpieces for a new look and it turned into an amazing real-world learning experience for our students!

Our Career Lab and Financial Literacy classes had the opportunity to reevaluate needed supplies, analyze costs, and calculate profit margins. When a small billing issue came up, it became an unexpected (but valuable!) lesson, giving students hands-on experience communicating with a vendor and performing a real cost analysis, just like in the workplace.

Students followed the provided directions and model while adding their own individual creativity to each centerpiece. The results were unique, thoughtful, and beautifully done!

We were so busy, and our students were so engaged in creating and delivering the centerpieces, that we didn’t even stop to take pictures of the process. Luckily, some of our customers shared photos of the centerpieces in their homes, and they look fantastic!

We’re incredibly proud of the teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and professionalism our students showed throughout this project.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our customers who continue to support the program. Wishing everyone a lovely holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year!

11/26/2025

Students in Career Lab and Financial Literacy 8 had the opportunity to experience the process of running a small floral business, Blooms by Career Lab. They observed a prototype, followed multi-step verbal directions, and then applied their creativity to design their arrangements.

This activity also reinforced key financial-literacy concepts such as budgeting, pricing, calculating profit margins, and understanding the cost of materials, all while supporting the development of vocational skills including task sequencing, workplace communication, and hands-on production.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

11/03/2025

🎉 The numbers are in! 🎉

Round One of our Can Can donations brought in a whopping 1,272 pounds of food!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who shopped in person and online, your generosity is making a real difference for families in need.

But we’re not done yet! You can still shop online by visiting our ShopRite website and making a purchase. Every can, every click, and every cart helps brighten someone’s day and fills more plates in our community.

Big shoutout to our awesome 8th grade employees who weren’t camera shy, and to all the behind-the-scenes heroes who kept the sale running smoothly — you rock!

Stay tuned… Round Two is coming soon!

10/24/2025

That’s a wrap on round one of Can Can! Our students crushed it, stocking up on canned goods, cleaning supplies, baking essentials, and even gallons of water by the case! Huge thanks to everyone who shopped and supported! Want to help? Stay tuned 👀

10/23/2025

Students had great conversations about which items would help families the most and showed off some cool math skills trying to get as close to their budgets as possible without going over.

Career Lab and Financial Literacy students are also getting a behind-the-scenes look at what a busy business looks like, keeping up with demand, customer interactions, money transactions, and making sure every single item gets counted toward the correct grade level.

Keep up the great work!

10/22/2025

Can Can was off to an awesome start today!
Students came to ShopRite with a set budget, picked out items, and checked out using cash, card, or Apple Pay—all while supporting a great cause. Along the way, they interacted with our student employees who are building real-world job skills.

All donations are going to Fulfill NJ, supporting families in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Huge shoutout to our Day 1 shoppers, you really set the bar high! 👏🛒