Hunters and gatherers -- it's an ancestral approach that can be applied even to College Fairs.

Students and parents from throughout the Rockwood School District perused the aisles of materials from nearly 145 college institutions, trade schools and military programs at Lafayette High School in Wildwood on Monday evening.

Some attendees hunted for specific details from specific entities; other attendees gathered quite a large variety of materials. Regardless of approach, it's difficult to find a better opportunity than Rockwood's annual district for analyzing that many post-high school opportunities in one spot.

One sophomore from Eureka High School knew exactly what information she was seeking at the fair. Danielle Moore said she wanted to go into nursing ever since third grade. "I helped my grandma when she was sick, she told me I'd make a good nurse, and I've always wanted to do that," Moore said.

Moore said she was not finding a lot of nursing programs offered among the institutions at the fair, but had picked up materials from Chamberlain College of Nursing, Northwest Missouri State University, Barnes-Jewish School of Nursing and Elmhurst College. She said she had her eye on the Barnes-Jewish program since eighth grade.

Sample questions to ask college representatives were provided to attendees. The questions were grouped into four categories: academics, admission requirements, student life and scholarship, costs and financial aid.

(See related published article: Rockwood's College Fair to be at Lafayette.)

Rockwood college specialists at the district's four high schools are:  Christopher Ramsay and Christy Wills, Lafayette High; Jeff Buckman, Eureka High; Joan Lodes and Chad Sisk, Marquette High; and Jennedy Abellard, Rockwood Summit High.