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Architecture students are working on their house project, a hands-on activity to learn useful skills they will need in their fields.
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Animation II & Practicum teacher Yolanda Barnaby reviews her student’s newest project.
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Culinary I students are running a baked goods sale which gives them practice while easing into the food industry.
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Junior Ismael Khan finishes up a project in Engineering Design.
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Various mechanical system classes are offered at the CTEC giving students the opportunity to operate real machinery used in fields like construction and architecture.
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Outside of CTE’s walls, a separate building built for the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources teaches students how to grow and maintain plants and flowers.
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Junior and Computer Science III student June Won works on his coding project.
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“I grew up in a very small town, so we had one building, and this would be like the dream come true for me,” Assistant Principal Travis Volk said. “These were all the classes and the community that I would have loved to be a part of. So yes, it would have been a great opportunity for me when I was younger, to be able to come.”
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“The curriculum in Survey of Education and Training actually mirrors a lot of what college students study to become educators,” senior Michelle Patapsky said. “It’s been really helpful in preparing me for the future—and I also have a really good teacher.”
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“Originally, I wanted to do business or a business-oriented role, so I figured that this class [BIM] would kind of help me get there,” senior Jackson Spradlin said. “Although it’s now no longer related to my career, BIM has helped me grow skills especially in executing ideas properly.”
The CTEC (Career Technical Education Center) provides an extensive selection of over 30 programs of study for more than 5,000 students district-wide. From health science to architecture, students engage in hands-on activities, projects, and lectures, all to receive a head start on their future careers.
Growing up, CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and Pharmacology teacher Jill Johnson did not have access to resources to help explore her interests. However, she not only believes that the CTEC is an excellent opportunity for students to discover their career paths early, but she also wishes she had access to a similar program.
“When I was growing up, I actually wanted to be either a teacher or a nurse,” Johnson said. “At the time, I didn’t even realize I could combine those passions and become a nursing teacher—specifically, a clinical instructor. There wasn’t anything that really introduced us to professional paths or helped us explore what we were interested in. If I’d had access to a CTEC like this one, it would have been amazing. A place like this would’ve let us either confirm our passions or rule things out early on.”
Since junior Arena Gomson wants to become an architect in the future, she took Architectural Design, a class that quickly became a favorite due to her interest in art and design and the projects offered.
Senior Sharia Sharma’s dream career is becoming an ER surgeon, a decision made due to her experience at the CTEC.
“I want to eventually become a surgeon, an ER surgeon. And I actually came to that conclusion because of my CTEC classes. Last year, we got to ride in an ambulance and help all the EMTs a couple of times. I think that was probably one of my best experiences, and it allowed me to start looking into emergency surgery”
However, not all paths are linear. For instance, although senior Jackson Spradlin is enrolled in BIM (Business Information Management), he plans to join the U.S. Coast Guard and utilize the skills BIM provides him.
“Originally, I wanted to do business or a business-oriented role, so I figured that this class [BIM] would kind of help me get there,” Spradlin said. “Although it’s now no longer related to my career, BIM has helped me grow skills especially in executing ideas properly.”
Whether it’s becoming an ER surgeon, a U.S. Coast Guard, or anything in between, Assistant Principal Travis Volk sees the endless possibilities CTEC offers students. To him, it’s proof career exploration doesn’t have to start in college. CTEC gives students the chance to discover their passions early and take real steps toward their futures while still in high school.
“I get lost in actually looking at the projects that are going on and seeing what they’re doing. I mean, it is absolutely amazing,” Volk said. “It’s mind-blowing that high school students are doing that type of work within the building.”
