Dr. Sharon L. Contreras, Superintendent
May 2022 • Volume 2 • Issue 20
The CTE "Why?"
Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares all students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand careers. The experience begins with career inspiration in Pre-K, awareness in elementary school, exploration in middle school, and preparation in high school. CTE equips students for post-secondary education and immediate employment opportunities to compete worldwide successfully.
• Featured Articles •
Southwest Guilford High School Health Science Students Create a Mental Health PSA
A recent survey by the Hunt Institute of K-12 students, conducted after stay-at-home orders went into effect, found that 38 percent of students are more concerned with their well-being, 51 percent report being more stressed, and 39 percent feel lonelier. These findings showcase the consequences that social isolation, lack of in-person relationship building, and other stressors have had on students' mental health. Although mental health has long been a taboo topic in the United States and elsewhere, society as a whole is beginning to address mental health problems with more compassion and curiosity. This compassion and curiosity empowered the students in the Honors Health Science II course at Southwest Guilford High School to create a Mental Health Awareness Public Service Announcement (PSA) in observance of Mental Health Awareness Month in May.
Builder's Vibe Community Night Out #2
The second iteration of the Builder's Vibe Community Night Out was another success for the Safer Together Green Housing Project and its students! The event brought together CTE Carpentry Pathway Students, business/industry partners, colleges/universities, and financial institutions, and City of Greensboro leadership: Mayor Nancy Vaughn (City of Greensboro), City Manager, Mr. Taiwo Jaiyeoba (City of Greensboro), and Councilwoman Sharon Hightower (City of Greensboro - District 1). City of Greensboro leadership stressed the importance of ensuring innovative and affordable housing strategies to support the desired population growth of Greensboro and the importance of expanding the construction sector workforce population by building capacity in high school students through projects like the Safer Together Green Housing Project where students are paid $15.00 per hour as construction apprentices. Since October 2021, diverse student cohorts have worked to rehab houses single-family homes in Greensboro and High Point, NC.
Students who were a part of the CTE Carpentry Pathway Cohort were vested, belted with a construction toolbelt outfitted with an industry-relevant toolset curated by our Community of Practice Members (business/industry partners), and fitted with a monogrammed hard-hat. A special honor was given to the CTE instructors who are a part of the Professional Learning Community as a recognition for their hard work, passion, dedication, and expertise throughout the Safer together Green Housing Project: Mark Adkins (Weaver), Bruce Lockwood (Southern Guilford High School), and John Hensley (Grimsley). Teachers were gifted drones to enhance and expand technical skills by utilizing drone technology in construction, geospatial mapping, surveying, and project management. As this program continues, we look forward to continuing to lasting personal and community-wide impact through the career development of our pre-apprentices.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Students at Andrews High School Master Nursing Skills
Healthcare Professional Pathway students are practicing skills to exemplify the mastery needed to pass the North Carolina CNA state exam at Andrews High School. The Healthcare Simulation Lab at Andrews High School is used as a critical component of nursing education, allowing students to become confident in dealing with high-pressure situations, learn from their mistakes in a safe and supportive environment, and gain experience with conditions they may not encounter during clinical. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) provide direct personal care to patients. They may help a patient bathe, exercise, get dressed, or take medication. GCS-CTE is proud to report approximately 96 Healthcare Professional Pathway students and counting have become certified nursing assistants to impact the healthcare field as doctors, technicians, surgeons, and researchers.
Southern Guilford High School has “New Kids" on the Block!
Animal Science Pathway instructor, Hailey Peeler, announced the birth of a set of twin goats. Both the Dam and the Sire are full-blooded Boer meat goats. The twins are bucklings (boys) and seem to be doing very well! These are the second set of babies these does (female goats) have birthed at Southern Guilford High School. Special thanks to instructors Hailey Peeler and Brad Hensley who are passionate champions of both the Animal Science Pathway and the Food Products and Processing Systems Pathway at Southern Guilford High School.
• Business & Industry Spotlight•
Work-Based Learning Continues for Students & Teachers!
CTE continues to prepare students for high skill, high-wage, or in-demand industries through Guilford Apprenticeship Partners (GAP).
Over 75 students from 17 GCS high schools received the GAP (pre-apprenticeship) scholarship worth approximately $125,000 per student in the following sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration, Electrical Engineering Tech, Electrical Systems, Supply Chain Management, Electrical, Mechatronics, Automotive, Pharmacy Technician, and Information Technology (IT). This year’s new GAP Cohort begins Monday, June 13, 2022.
Even after year of pandemic pivots, our GAP partners didn’t panic but made the pivot for our students to have choices for careers, not just graduation. The process, just like any hiring process, is comprised of a combination of characteristics that companies desire, such as high intelligence, personality, strong skill sets, and work ethic. As with a changing workforce, some processes are subjective, as company representatives are looking for bright, young, energetic minds and those candidates who they think will fit into the culture of their organization.
Facts about the 2022 Student Cohort:
- 125 applicants
- 19% percent are female
- 51% percent are non-white
- 17 public schools, one private school, and one home school
- 140 students are in GAP; the fastest growing youth apprenticeship program in the state with an additional 75 new pre-apprentices
- Totaling 215 GAP students/employees
Guilford County Schools - Career & Technical Education (CTE) Gets Students and Teachers Placed in Industry!
The new workforce is changing in real-time – who shows up, what their skills are, and what jobs they need to do, is a constantly moving target. The traditional “one-size fits all” approach to training, guidance, and performance requires students and teachers to “Get into Industry” to stay abreast of trends, develop technical skills, and hone in on professional skills as a confident and competent talent pipeline.
The new workforce is different. It’s more dynamic, more diverse, and requires a different approach to work-based learning! In CTE’s efforts to improve work-based learning, we challenged ourselves to get 200 Student Internships and 64 Teacher Externships placed this summer.
- One hundred twenty-seven student internships will transpire this summer within 23 different businesses throughout the Triad, such as Best Logistics, Carolina Biological, Koury Corporation, Publix, SAMET, FedEx, and Core Technologies.
- Twenty-seven teacher externships will transpire this summer within eight different businesses throughout the Triad for teachers to “get into industry,” stay abreast of industry trends and integrate new ideas into student learning experiences throughout the school year.
CTE is the ultimate classroom to career experience!
NC Automotive Apprenticeship Program Visits Weaver Academy
This month, representatives from the Automotive Service and Tire Alliance (ASTA) and Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) visited Weaver Academy's Automotive Service Pathway, Diesel Technology Pathway, and Collision Repair Pathway students to present information about the NC Automotive Apprenticeship Program. Students learned details about how the program works and how to apply. Additionally, the representatives shared valuable information about employability skills and helpful tips for developing a professional resume. Afterward, students had the opportunity to meet individually with local automotive shop owners and representatives from the apprenticeship program to network and ask questions. If you are interested in learning more about the NC Automotive Apprenticeship Program, you can view their website by clicking here.
“Mow” Cutting-Edge Work-Based Learning Experiences at Southeast Guilford High School
The GCS CTE Department is pleased to share that one of our phenomenal Agriculture Pathways Program is receiving a new Grounds Maintenance team member - a precision cut mower! This new turf and grass mower will allow Agriculture students at Southeast Guilford High School to attain skills in operating high-performance ground maintenance equipment to attain work-based learning opportunities at area businesses. The purchase of this equipment has also solidified partnerships with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greensboro Country Club, and Forest Oaks Country Club. The CTE team is excited about the opportunities our Agriculture pathways students have to become a competent and confident Agricultural Science pipeline.
Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSO)
Southeast Guilford High School FFA Chapter's Community Service Project Revitalizes a Courtyard for Outdoor Learning
The Southeast Guilford FFA Chapter previously received a Yearlong Live to Serve Grant from the National FFA Organization in August of 2021. The Grant awarded the Chapter $3,000 to complete a community service project revitalizing the Courtyard at Nathaniel Greene Elementary. Throughout this school year, the FFA Chapter and various agriculture classes have completed several workdays in the courtyard cleaning out the existing pond and getting the waterfall feature fixed, pulling weeds, trimming existing bushes and trees, etc. The FFA Chapter also partnered with the Carpentry Pathway classes at Southeast to make a raised bed bench, and a teaching station was installed in the courtyard. The chapter then planted the area with herbs, vegetables, and flowers. This community service project aims to utilize the courtyard as an outdoor classroom and create a sensory learning environment for students to explore different aspects of agriculture.
GCS Students Win Big at the SkillsUSA North Carolina Championships
Nineteen GCS students placed in the top five of their divisions during the SkillsUSA North Carolina Championships this year. The Skills USA is the largest showcase of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the state, with more than 1,500 outstanding CTE students competing in more than 120 hands-on trade, technical and leadership contests. The contests span more than 95 trade areas, including construction, automotive, welding, drafting, public safety, culinary, cosmetology and more.
During the conference, students work against the clock and each other, to prove their expertise in their chosen occupations. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and technical experts and test competencies that are set by the industry. GCS students received support from their CTE Skills USA Advisors: Rita Tisdale (Weaver Academy), Michael Crenshaw (Weaver Academy), and John T. Hensley (Grimsley High School). GCS’ student winners are listed below:
GOLD
- Commercial Baking: Aidan Tobin, Ragsdale High (competing with Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC))
- Diesel Equipment Technology: Tucker Messinger, Northern High (competing with GTCC)
- Industrial Motor Control: Kaleb Hamilton, Grimsley High
- Occupational Health and Safety: Clairie Alvardo, Jacob Cohen and Angel Robles-Mieles, Grimsley High
- TV/Video Production: Lauryn Wynn and Amariana Chapman, Weaver Academy
- Audio/Radio Production: Aidan Swift and Joshua Wolters, Weaver Academy
SILVER
- Pin Design: Samantha Haven, Page High
- Commercial Baking: Fatima Khan, Weaver Academy
BRONZE
- Auto Services Technology: Ryan Holland, Weaver Academy
- Digital Cinema: Robbie Cook and Kyndall Miller, Weaver Academy 4th Place
- Criminal Justice: Jaiya Gomes, Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown (competing with GTCC) 5th Place
- Culinary: Katrina Guerrero, Weaver Academy
- Digital Cinema: Kierstyn Price and Jeremiah Meyer, Weaver Academy
The top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education. The SkillsUSA North Carolina Championships are for middle school, high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA. First-place winners earn the right to compete in the National SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta alongside more than 6,000 other competitors from across the country in more than 100 contests.
SkillsUSA (formerly known as Vocational Industrial Clubs of America or V.I.C.A.) is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce by providing students with the opportunities to gain personal skills, workplace skills, and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. SkillsUSA has more than 350,000 students and instructors as members at the national level. For more information, visit SkillsUSAnc.org or SkillsUSA.org .
Source: Guilford County Schools
Southern Guilford High School's Year-End Future Farmers of America (FFA) Banquet
On Tuesday, May 24th, Southern Guilford High School's FFA Chapter celebrated another year of student excellence and achievement at their year-end banquet. Former GCS CTE Director Ms. Nancy Cross was given a Southern Guilford FFA Honorary Degree for her dedication to CTE and the Southern Guilford Agriculture Department during her time with Guilford County Schools. At the banquet, 57 students received their Greenhand Degrees, 20 students received their Chapter Degrees, and two were recognized for earning their North Carolina FFA State Degree. Ten Career Development Event (CDE) teams were recognized for their hard work and dedication in competing this year. CDE teams were Tractor and Safety Skills, Veterinary Science, Livestock Evaluation, Hunter Safety, Dairy Handling, Dairy Evaluation, Introduction to Horticulture, FFA Creed Speaking, Food Science, and Meat Evaluation. Students in their third and fourth years at Southern Guilford's Agriculture Pathway and FFA Chapter were recognized for their years of service to the FFA. A new slate of 15 officers was installed into their positions and began to assume their new duties.
Every year the Southern Guilford FFA Alumni conducts an application process and interviews with the intention of awarding select seniors with scholarships. The SGFFA Alumni conduct many fundraisers to provide these scholarship opportunities and support SGFFA members throughout the year. They provide our student chapter with financial assistance and so many other things. This year, the one-time $1,000 Southern Guilford FFA Alumni Service Award recipient was Mujtaba Raja. Nathan Farlow and Jada Gill received a $500 award; the recipient of the $4,000 SGFFA Alumni Scholarship was Madison Boulware.
A Look Ahead...June 2022
"On June 19, 1865, enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free from bondage. As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth. ." - President Joseph R. Biden
Click here to read the full Proclamation on Juneteenth Day of Observance, 2021 by President Joseph R. Biden.
GCS CTE Staff
Dr. Holly Pore • CTE Executive Director