Countywide : Children Check Into Real World

On Monday, Ruben Fariah, 10, had the same responsibilities as most children his age: homework, chores and more homework.

On Tuesday, everything changed when he traded schoolbooks for balance sheets and took over as general manager of a 17-story Garden Grove hotel.

Charged with keeping hundreds of guests happy, Ruben spent the morning studying payroll reports and guest relations surveys, work he considered a refreshing change of pace. Aside from missing classes, he said the best part of his day “is being the boss, and running a place that people enjoy.”

Ruben was one of 28 students from Clinton Elementary School in Garden Grove who participated in a “Career Day” program designed to give children a glimpse of the working world. Sponsored by Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, the second annual event was also held at 80 other hotels nationwide, including in Irvine and Newport Beach.

As part of the four-hour program, students teamed up with chefs, caterers, housekeepers, engineers, managers and accountants at the Hyatt Regency Alicante hotel. Children, who dressed in altered hotel uniforms, helped their mentors deliver messages, carry bags and check in guests.

Wearing a crisp white shirt and black tie, Ruben sat with his mentor, Paul Scott, and said he was surprised that executives weren’t intimidating or mean. Referring to Scott, he said, “I didn’t think he was going to be fun. He’s a comedian. I was thinking I’d come in and he’d say, ‘Get down and give me 10 (pushups).’ ”

Jay Heck, a teacher who helped coordinate the visit, said it helps children understand why their schoolwork is important and how it applies to getting a job.

“There’s no doubt about it. As cashiers and in food service, they have to count money and deal with money, they have to follow directions, use citizenship skills, read,” he said.

The participants had been chosen for good performance at school. Some of them, Heck said, had been “counting down, five more days, four more days.”

Dressed in a white chef’s hat and uniform, Erika Garcia and Elizabeth Kiriakos, both 10, helped make colorful platters of food shaped like flowers and birds.

While arranging slices of cantaloupes, strawberries, and kiwi fruit on a dish, Elizabeth said she enjoyed the work, especially because after she finished, “We get to eat it.”

Luis Rena, 11, left his job as bellman not only richer in experience, but also in cash after getting a $1 tip from a guest for carrying a bag.

Toward the end of his shift, he said the job was preferable to sitting through classes “because I have to do work in school. I don’t have to work here.”