Parents have a great opportunity this evening to have a hand in their children’s education when the Vicksburg Warren School District holds its career academy showcase at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

“This is the second time we’ve done the academy showcase,” said Christi Kilroy, school district public information officer. “Vicksburg High School, Warren Central High School and the River City Early College come together and put up displays for each of the three academies at each school.

“River City Early College is our accelerated learning academy where they (students) get to have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree while at the same time they’re getting a high school diploma.”

The eighth-grade students are visiting the showcase today and Thursday to learn about each of the academies at the high schools and River City Early College, because they will have to make a decision this spring about which academy they want to be in or if they want to apply to River City Early College.

And from 3 to 6 p.m. today the showcase will be open to the public so parents will be able to learn about the school district’s career academies and help their children make their decision on a career path.

“We think it’s so important that people understand,” Kilroy said. “We have a lot of folks from our steering committee and the business community who will be there to answer questions about how to get in involved with the schools.”

There’s some key words there — “get involved with the schools.”

One of the problems school officials and teachers talk about is the lack of parental involvement in the schools. There was once a time when parents were very involved in the schools and their children’s education, and for some reason that involvement and concern about a child’s education has diminished. That’s something that should never have happened.

Wednesday evening parents have a chance to renew that involvement and help not only their children, but the school system. The showcase is more than picking a course of study; it’s determining a child’s future, and the more a parent can get involved in that future and support it, the better the chance of that child succeeding not just in school but in life.

This evening, attend the showcase with your child and provide that support.