A flood of eighth graders descended on Bentonville West High School on Wednesday to visit with prospective employers during Bentonville Schools’ first-ever Elev8 Your Future career fair.

By the end of the day, about 1,500 students from the district’s four junior highs cycled through the event, which took place in multiple rooms and featured 45 organizations.

The event was about looking ahead — to high school and beyond. Later this school year, the students will be tasked with mapping out a four-year plan for high school, including the courses they want to take to prepare for life after graduation.

Chloe Knowlton, the school district’s assistant director of career and technical education, helped organize the event.

“I think that it's never too early to start thinking about what you want to do with your life,” she said. “Career exploration is fantastic to start as early as elementary school because it can expose students to opportunities.”

One eighth grader named Finley dressed the part for the career fair, wearing a sport coat as she mingled at various booths.

She wants to be a professional actor but said that might not be the “most logical option.” However, local theatre company TheatreSquared was at the career fair to talk about exactly that.

Charles, another eighth grader, visited several booths, including one for a real estate company. That’s what his father does for work, but he’s most interested in becoming a pilot.

In a couple of years, he might find himself in the district’s Ignite program, where upper-level high school students can take aviation-related courses as part of career training.