The CTE Advisory Board met Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at BCHS in the library. Jackie Stephenson began the meeting with a welcome to the members in attendance; Brenda Hite, Cara Major, Adaline Hodge, Katie Keyser, Eddie Ryder, and Sue Hirsh. Absent members were Paul Lancaster, Roy Burns, Andy Seabolt, and Jane McMullen. Guests in attendance were Jeff Hicks and Willie Jenkins.
The agenda began with time being taken to review and approve the minutes from prior meetings. Brenda Hite and Cara Major provided updates on the Hospitality Club. Though attendance was low at the last meeting due to school field trips, there has been an average of four to five students at each meeting. Earl Dodrill and Gail Johnson from DSLCC visited during the last meeting to introduce students to the courses offered at Dabney. Gail Johnson presented information on the massage therapy course offered. The amenities offered at The Homestead were discussed at a prior meeting. The skating trip planned for members of the club was cancelled due to lack of interest. It is felt that interest in the club should be encouraged to the students, but the newness of the program should be realized. Focus will be made on month by month planning of activities for meetings during the next school year.
The Young Chefs Competition was held March 3 at the Rockbridge Regional Center. There was lots of participation from surrounding institutions. Officers and chefs from The Homestead also attended. Students were exposed to mock interviews and demonstrations. BCHS placed 2nd in the “Taste of Our Town” category. Adaline Hodge expressed the students feeling of “being chefs” and felt the attendance of “important people” made the students feel valued as chefs The competition awarded them the opportunity to build confidence for future cooking events and students learned useful tips for interview preparation. Brenda expressed the feeling that students seemed truly interested in the opportunities offered during the day and all are looking forward to the competition next year.
Cara Major introduced plans for the Career Fair scheduled for October 18, 2011. It is planned to be held from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the BCHS new gym. Many educational and workplace institutions will be invited. Students will be provided a “passport” to complete during the day’s events. This will encourage the students to be active participants. Jackie Stephenson will be designing a schedule of the day’s events. BCHS students are involved in calling businesses and colleges for contact information in preparation for the event. A lunch and refreshments will be provided for the representatives attending.
Focus then moved to the CTE Scholarship. A $500 scholarship is offered to a CTE student each year. Due to lack of funds, we are in arrears on the scholarship awarded last school year. Therefore, a scholarship cannot be offered this school year. In order to build a fund to offer the scholarship in future years, a fund raiser is recommended. Suggestions included a mum sale in the fall, sale or silent auction of items made or services offered by CTE classes at local events such as the Farmers Market, 50/50 raffles at local high school sports events, and concession sales.
Jackie Stephenson introduced the work being done by the students in Willie Jenkins shop. The class has recently built two playhouses. One was built for a customer. The other will be sold. Jane McMullen’s students attended the state FBLA Convention. Although no awards were won at the state level, many students placed at the regional level. Jeff Hicks presented a power point of happenings in the Auto shop. Technology is used regularly in a classroom setting as well as throughout the shop to do maintenance and repairs to personal and public vehicles from the community. The All-Data programs used replace the many hard copy manuals previously used as reference points for vehicle repairs. This program offers visual step by step directions for repairs and servicing. Included in the top of the line equipment available in the shop are an alignment machine and an automated lift. Students are involved in highly technical repairs and servicing jobs. Math and reading comprehension are very important. The shop uses a check sheet, which was designed by the students, to complete maintenance and service issues with each vehicle. All aspects of operating a business are included from ordering parts to invoicing customers. Credentialing is a strong focus due to state requirements. It should not be overlooked that there are several female student involved in Auto. Jeff gave kudos to Anne Bogan, an Auto II student, for her work on the power point presentation he provided.
The Local CTE Plan was presented to the group for review. The plan will be sent to the Department of Education nest week for approval. A copy of the DOE CTE Annual Performance report card was available for review. This report reflects a summary of the standards met/not met by the school. Bath Public Schools have met all standards. Credentialing testing is scheduled for the first week of May. There are over 150 tests to choose from. Fifty percent of CTE completers must be tested and fifty percent of those tested must pass. Adaline has new ProStart textbooks this school year and gives all of her students the ProStart exam. Students earn a certificate from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation if they pass the test. This year the certificate will reflect a Year 1 or Year 2 status. Zach Woodzell has received a National Certificate of Achievement from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for completing all ProStart requirements including 450 hours of paid work experience. He will attend DSLCC’s in the fall and study in the culinary program. The ProStart certificates he has earned give him credits enabling him to skip one of his required classes.
Jeff Hicks along with all attendants commended Eddie Ryder for his involvement with CTE during his career on the school board. Eddie reflected on the need to focus on the education and ability for students to leave high school with the skills needed to be successful in the workforce and in furthering their education.
Brenda closed the meeting with a final “thank you” to all participants for their attendance and contributions to the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 with the next meeting date undetermined but tentatively planned for September 2011.
Respectfully submitted by Katie Keyser, secretary.