Susan Sias’ kindergarten class at Symmes Valley Elementary has plans for the future, plans that involve large volumes of water and the color pink and possibly gun fire.

From a child’s perspective, the future is bright and colorful.

You have the right to remain silent

Firemen. Police officers. Cowboys. They are the central figures in many a childhood imagination. They represent action, heroics, drama.

Kevin Workman is one of several Symmes Valley kindergarten students who want to be a police officer. Why?

“Because I like to watch police shows,” Kevin replied. “Cops are neat. They shoot people.”

Ditto for Darrell Campbell who said he wants to shoot a gun “but not people.” What does a cop do all day long?

“They put handcuffs on people. I want to put them on bad people,” he said.

It is this need to corral “bad people” that draws Zack Carpenter to law enforcement, too.

“They shoot guns and arrest people,” Carpenter said.

Handcuffs, shiny and silver, hold a fascination for more than one Symmes Valley kindergartner.

Nate Coburn demonstrated precisely how it’s done, with hands behind the back. He figures he will have to go to school seven years to get his badge.

Derek Porter wants to be a cop too.

“I would guard people all day and I would put handcuffs on people,” he surmised.

Adam Lybrand is not sure what all a police officer does all day but he wants to be one too. Like the other boys, the thought of packing heat packs great excitement.

Sean Dennison wants to be a firefighter and, to him, this career represents excitement.

“They spray water,” he explained.

Austin May wants to be a firefighter, too. What does a firefighter do?

“They stay at the fire house all day long,” Austin explained.

There may be a reason why firemen are held in such awe.

“Some firemen came out to visit for fire prevention week and they (the students) got to see the gear and the trucks,” Sias explained. “He (Sean) liked it.”

The fire department of the future will have to make room for Zach Kearns as well. As a fireman he promised to “work all day.”

Along the same lines, Wyatt Boothe wants to be an agent — an FBI agent and “go some places.” Boothe wants to protect a rich guy “and he has to pay me.” How much? Boothe is your man for the sum of $400 a day. For $400 a day Boothe will “walk around the house in a circle and not let assassinators in.” He might want to join the U.S. Secret Service and guard the president.

But he figured he will have to go to school at least 40 days to learn the tools of the trade.

Gals with flair

Chelsey Hupp wants to be a fashion designer, “Because they’re cool and stuff,” she explained. She has a computer game and is already developing her own style in preparation for someday.

Chelsey is not alone. Four other little girls have dreams of a career in fashion design.

Brea Belville wants to be a fashion designer. Her favorite color is pink. Her mom picks out her outfits right now but someday, Brea would dress others in style.

Candace Pittman wants to be a fashion designer too, because “they get to wear lots of clothes.”

Shelby Turvey wants to enter the world of fashion some day, too. She thinks she could make “a hundred dollars” this way.

It is coifs, not clothing, that fascinate Makenzie Daniels.

“I want to cut people’s hair and put color in it,” she said. She not only has plans for the future, she has plans for the here and now.

Sizing up Tribune photographer Jessica St. James, Makenzie would put Jess’ mane in a ponytail and add color. Lots of color.

“Pink and orange and yellow and red and blue,” she said.

Big plans

Move over Keith Urban. Pack your bags Alan Jackson. Shane Ostby wants to be a singer, a country singer.

Aubrey Callicoat has a more practical career in mind. She wants to be a cook. What would she cook?

“Pasghetti,” she replied with a smile. She likes to eat “pasghetti”, too, she said.

Savannah Viars wants to be an artist. Does she like to draw?

“Yeah,” she said with a smile that stretched across her face. And she would make a lot of money for her works of art.

How much?

“A thousand dollars,” she replied.

Jaden Thompson wants to be a garbage man so he can “throw garbage in the dump.” He’s been to the dump and finds it a fascinating place.

When Sias retires, she can feel comfortable handing her classroom over to Kylee Jenkins, who wants to follow in Sias’ footsteps and become a teacher. Kylee said she would “work all day” and promised to be a good one, just like Mrs. Sias.

“It’s rewarding to hear her say that,” Sias said.

Meet the class of St. Lawrence Class of 2022

Right now they’re little fellas with many years ahead of them in school. But members of the Class of 2022 of St. Lawrence Elementary have big dreams for their future. Some of the dreams are whimsical, others are colorful. One dream is a bit awe inspiring and in a class by itself.

Rembrandts of the future

Isabella Whaley wants to be an artist. She likes to paint and she likes to color and her favorite colors are pink and purple.

Isabella is already practicing for that big day when someone might want to take home one of her creations. The prettiest thing she’s colored so far is a butterfly.

And Isabella is not alone. Four kindergarten students at St. Lawrence want to express their personalities through color and design.

Lydia Sheridan wants to be an artist, too. She drew a ladybug once.

Samantha Anderson is another future artist. She would like to paint “a person, houses, balls, grass, the sun and the sky,” she said.

Chloe Sheridan wants to be an artist and draw “rainbows and flowers,” she said.

All in the family

There’s an old saying that some things are just “in the blood,” passed down from father to son or mother to daughter as predictably as last names and dimples.

Payne Delawder wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, Chris Delawder, and become a lawyer. And what does Daddy do all day long that Payne would want to do it too?

“He wears black all day,” Payne replied.

Michael Mahlmeister wants to carry on a family tradition too. His father, also named Mike, is a fireman and what’s good for dad is fine for son, too.

“I would put out fires,” the younger Mike said. “It’s exciting.”

Hayden Bensinger wants to join the Air Force when he grows up. What would he do in the Air Force?

“Fly a plane,” he replied. In a sense, he would be following in his grandfather’s footsteps.

A myriad of dreams

Elijah Rowe wants to build things when he grows up. Houses, for instance. And he’s already practicing for that day. The biggest thing he’s built so far is a castle made of blocks.

“It was big,” he said.

Noah Woods is not sure what he wants to be but thinks he might want to race on foot.

If teacher Linda Bloomfield is looking for evidence of her influence on the Class of 2022, she need look no further than Connor Waller. Connor wants to be a teacher.

Me as an M.D.

Three kids saw Band-Aids and hospitals and long years of medical school in their future.

Kerri Jenkins wants to be a doctor and wants to take care of children and she may be getting a leg up, even in kindergarten.

“She kind of doctors the class,” Bloomfield said.

Reagan Roush would like to be a doctor, too and like Kerri, she wants to take care of sick children.

Owen Brose wants to be a doctor, too, although he doesn’t know why.

Lily Saunders wants to be a veterinarian. Why?

“I like animals,” she explained. “Cats, dogs, hamsters and stuff like that.”

He wants to talk to the animals

Drew Clark wants to be a zookeeper “because I like the zoo. You can see animals and stuff.” Clark likes them al,l but thinks the giraffe is his favorite.

“It has a long neck and it’s so tall and it has spots and is yellow,” he said.

Animals are often among a child’s most cherished friends and this love of four-footed friends is something people often treasure even after they reach adulthood.

Braden Stewart wants to be a jockey “and ride a white horse,” he said. “Horses can go superfast.” In the photo he drew to illustrate what he wanted to be someday, his horse is named “Homey.”

Peace of the future

Some of the youngsters giggled when they talked about their future. Others grinned and shrugged. Maybe they weren’t really sure what they wanted to be.

But Laiken Unger answered the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with a seriousness and certainty that belied her tender age. There was no giggling.

She wants to be a nun. Why?

“I like to pray,” she said. She said she has known since she was 4 this was the direction her life would take. As a nun, she would “visit the sick and pray for them because they’re sick.”

Bloomfield said some of the children have changed their mind a couple of times about their future career. Not Laiken.

“She’s never changed her mind since I’ve had her,” Bloomfield said.

Why grow up?

Maybe growing up doesn’t mean leaving the fun behind.

Benjamin Anderson wants to “play Wii every day” when he grows up. Not just any Wii games, but the exercise ones. And he’s already got the basics down pat — helpful for the future, no doubt.

“You’re supposed to play with your shoes off,” Benjamin said.

Not content to just play video games now, Jacob Saxby wants to be a video game writer. What kind of games does he want to create?

“War games,” he replied. While he isn’t certain about specifics, he does know this career won’t require an extensive education.

“I don’t think I’ll have to go to school very long at all,” Jacob said.

Nick Pauley wants to work at the Hollywood Car Stars Museum in Gatlinburg, Tenn. He went there once and was hooked.

“There are a thousand cars at this place,” he said excitedly. “There’s like, Elvis there and there was a little Herbie and a big Herbie (the love bug),” Nick said.

Some of the students were not too sure about the details of their future profession. Nick was able to deliver vivid descriptions of the cars he saw, the sounds he heard and what he thought at the time.

Move over Patrick Patterson. Make way, O.J. Mayo. Matthew Sheridan wants to play basketball someday — but his school of choice is the University of Notre Dame.

He may be a little guy now, but some day, he will be tall — just the ticket if you plan to rule the court. How tall does a basketball player have to be?

“About 5’7,” Matthew replied.