Shearer Elementary School students climbed into police cars to operate the sirens, watched a liter of Coca-Cola explode and took a selfie with their teacher as he ascended into the air on a bucket truck.

Students learned about the range of careers that involve operating machinery and using vehicles for employment at Shearer’s first Careers on Wheels event Thursday.

Kent Coogle, Shearer’s family resource center coordinator, said children are often fascinated by vehicles of all shapes and sizes: cement trucks, police cars, fire trucks, helicopters, tractor trailers, garbage trucks and more. Coogle and Terri Tye, a counselor at Shearer, organized the event.

The intent of Careers on Wheels was to turn that fascination into a learning opportunity. Students rotated through the various stations, each accompanied by a vehicle; they learned about many industries such as towing, automotive, emergency management and more.

Students could also participate in hands-on activities such as mixing oil and water to see what would happen, which Valvoline employees discussed.

“From construction workers to florists, we want to inspire our students at Shearer to dream big and fly high,” Coogle said in a release.