U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today is being shadowed by Brandi Weathers, a senior at Washington, D.C.??s Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, as part of the national Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

In addition, 24 other students from Roosevelt and Eliot Junior School in the district and Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md., are spending time beside workers in the department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

Friday's fifth annual national job shadowing day marked the kickoff to Job Shadow 2002, a yearlong effort that will involve more than one million students following workers in 100,000 businesses across the country.

"I am pleased to lend my support and especially to encourage schools and businesses in communities across the country to participate," Secretary Paige said. "Job shadowing is an excellent way for students to see the connection between the academics they learn in school and the world of work - to explore career options and understand the importance of a strong foundation in school to their futures."

Secretary Paige added, "This activity also encourages mentoring relationships between young people and caring adults because the responsibility for student performance lies not just with educators but also with communities."

As Secretary Paige's job shadow, student Weathers attended meetings and toured offices. Weathers, who aspires to be a corporate lawyer, is active in the Future Business Leaders of America, Student Government Association, Art Department and Chemistry and Physics Club. She has also worked at Children's First Pediatric Hospital in Washington as a receptionist and file clerk and volunteered with the American Association of University Women, the district's Clark Elementary School and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

During the afternoon, she and her fellow students attended a discussion led by Robert Muller, deputy assistant secretary for vocational and adult education.

For the past several years, the Department of Education has participated in Groundhog Job Shadow Day to give students an up-close look at the world of work. Job Shadowing 2002 is a joint project by a coalition that includes the America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth, Junior Achievement and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Note to editors: For more information, visit http://www.jobshadow.org/, which features "virtual job shadowing," enabling users to explore a typical day on the job of 30 different professions.

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