Berrien CTE Newsletter - February 2020 Edition

CAREER TECH

NEWS

February 2020

Volume 4, Issue 3

February is National CTE Month

Celebrate TODAY , Own TOMORROW

By: CTE Staff

Career and Technical Education (CTE), is education that directly prepares students for high-wage , high-skill , high-demand careers. CTE covers many different fields, including health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, hospitality and management along with many others.

What is CTE Month?

Career and Technical Education Month ^® , or CTE Month ^® , is a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE students and programs across the country.

We encourage all districts to recognize and celebrate the opportunities provided through CTE and congratulate students for focusing their education on career-focused success.

CTE Student of the Month

Niles High School

Nominated by: Angie Mann, CTE Instructor

Niles High School

Jesus Magno-Garcia - Grade 12 Niles High School

Why He Enjoys His CTE Class:

Jesus enjoys Allied Health class because it allows him to get first hand experience within the medical field.

Extracurricular Activities:

Men's Soccer Club, Wrestling Team

Future Plans:

Jesus plans to attend a community college to complete his general education classes and then transfer to a larger university. He hopes to one day be an anesthesiologist.

CTE Programs Highlights

Buchanan High School

Submitted by: Mark Frey, CTE Director

Buchanan High School

Great news! Buchanan CTE Automotive Technology has a shiny new “Star”, a Northstar engine that is.

Buchanan's automotive program now has a beautiful cut-away Cadillac Northstar V-8 engine graciously donated by the General Motors Corporation. This Northstar engine proudly sits on a custom built stand and through its cut-away sections, students can easily observe all of the inner components of this complex gasoline engine.

It is regarded as GM’s most technically complex engine featuring four valves per cylinder, an all-aluminum block and cylinder heads, sequential fuel injection, variable valve timing and more.

The ability to interact with the inner workings of this engine will be a great asset and tool for our automotive program at Buchanan. Explaining the workings of a complex engine and the purpose of each component will now be much easier and better understood thanks to this outstanding donation. We are proud to have this new “Star” at our school and part of our CTE program. Text Link

St. Joseph High School

Submitted by: Matt Culver, Commercial Arts Instructor

and Julie Beam, Graphic Arts Instructor

St. Joseph High School

Please congratulate St. Joseph High School’s Graphic and Commercial Art students who were selected for the Regional Scholastic Awards Show. Thirty-Three SJHS Graphic and Commercial Art students were selected for the Regional Scholastic Awards Show in the categories of: Film and Animation, Product Design, Graphic Design, Sculpture, Comic Book Art, Printmaking Textiles, Fashion and Photography.

These selected student works will be exhibited at the South Bend Museum of Art from 2/1/2020 - 3/8/2018. Eighteen of these students won gold and their works will be also judged nationally in New York City.

Grace Wertanan of St Joseph High School won 5 awards in Fashion, Graphic, Photography and Textile Design.

Mikaela VanHoven is setting up her Goldfish Sculpture (made of felt) for a Photograph for the show with her classmates.

WHY CTE?

By: CTE Staff, Instructors and Students

We asked our Berrien County students why they chose their CTE Pathway and received an overwhelming response! With such a fantastic showing, we will continue this section in future CTE Newsletters to continue showcasing our Berrien County students.

"I chose Cisco because this is what I have wanted to do since I was little. I was considered the “tech kid” in my household. All I did was connect HDMI cables to the television and Ethernet cords to the Direct TV box. I wasn’t really good at computers or technology in general, but it inspired me to learn how everything works. I loved what I heard about the class and scheduled it with my school counselor as early as possible. So far this class is very fun, but very challenging. I plan to continue my IT path at Alma College."

Kaleb Steakly

Buchanan High School

CISCO (IT Fundamentals), Buchanan HS

"I chose to take the Criminal Justice program at Berrien Springs because I wanted to deepen my knowledge of Criminal Law. When I graduate school I want to go to school to become a defense attorney, but I didn’t want to go in blind. I wanted to make sure I would enjoy it, be able to retain the information and that I could be able to stay on top of all of my work. It was the best decision I ever made."

Jenasha Warren

Niles HIgh School

Criminal Justice Program, Berrien Springs HS

"A few reasons why I am loving the Intro to Healthcare Careers class is all the new information I am learning. I didn't know half the stuff about the medical aspect that I do now. It also gave me the opportunity to study and find information on what part of the medical field I want to go in, seeing what schools close by offer as classes and what the starting and yearly pay are. I really enjoy watching the medical films that are shown, it gives me a better understanding on how nurses and doctors feel towards their patients and the compassion they have for them. I chose to take this class because I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field that involved helping people one way or another. This class gave me the opportunity to do that, and I found the job aspect that I really see myself going to college for. This class will help me expand my thoughts more about medical things that I did not know previously."

Brook Bowerfind

Lakeshore High School

Intro to Healthcare Careers, Lakeshore HS

" I chose to take the Agscience class because I wanted to further my knowledge in the within the Ag industry. I specifically chose the Zoology program because I aspire to be a veterinarian, this program will help to open up opportunities for me."

Jackie VanDeWarker

Countryside Academy

Agriscience, Countryside Academy

" I have taken construction trades the past two years. I really enjoy Mr. Hughes teaching style and the way he makes learning so much fun. I have the class in the afternoon so after sitting all day it is really good to get up and go outside. It has been great to be a part of starting a project and watching it come together and then seeing the final home for a family. To be a part of that makes me proud.

I have learned so many great skills and can take them and use them at home. This class has helped me to be more organized, work well with others and become better at problem solving. The program is a great opportunity for students to get a head start on a lifetime career if they choose the construction field. "

Justin Smith

New Buffalo High School

Building Trades, New Buffalo HS

"I chose accounting as a high school CTE course because I am considering accounting as my major in college and I am hoping that taking this class will help me to get more experience and be prepared for college-level work. I am also hoping that having this class as an achievement will help me to get a job that eventually lead to a good, well paying job that I can advance quickly in. "

Brianna Leeper

Brandywine High School

Accounting, Brandywine HS

" I choose to take Accounting because I knew it would provide me with life skills that I will need. These skills will help me with knowing how to keep track of money, learn how to write checks, and just simply having these money skills and accounting skills."

Vanessa Crisenberry

Coloma High School

Accounting/Finance, Coloma HS

"I am taking the Culinary program at St. Joseph High School because I am learning the skills necessary for the career I want to pursue in the future."

Alex Renfro

St. Joseph High School

Culinary Arts, St. Joseph HS

"I choose the Firefighting program because I knew it would provide me with a set of practical skills that I wouldn’t find any other place. This training in practical skills also came with the probability to be useful in emergency situations and potentially save lives. So far the decision to take this course has been paying off as I have been learning a lot."

Kahler Johannsen

Berrien Springs Public School

Firefighting, Berrien Springs HS

"Having the opportunity to take a career and technical education classes is something I have not taken for granted. Having the ability to learn graphic and commercial arts programs, and have access to cutting edge technology, earn college credit all at the same time is a truly amazing opportunity. This head start in my education puts me in front of other students who do not have access to the same things that I do. These classes are taught by staff who understand the industry and what I need to succeed. I have had nothing but great experiences with CTE at SJHS. For my future, these classes have been crucial to expanding my view on what I want to do with my life, and give me a solid foundation to build upon for my education and future career endeavors. Because of these experiences I plan on becoming three dimensional designer. I would not have known my path to my future without these classes!"

Jake Feldman

St. Joseph High School

Commercial and Graphic Arts, St. Joseph HS

"I felt that taking a CTE class where I would get to work with automotive tools and equipment would help prepare me for working on my own vehicles, as well as in a repair shop. I like the class because its hands on and I get to work on actual cars with real problems. I enjoy working with real shop equipment like what is found in the industry as I now know better what to expect."

Joseph Franklin

Coloma High School

Automotive, Coloma HS

"I am currently a part of the Digital Multimedia Design program. I chose this CTE program because graphic design has always interested me and getting to learn about it more in depth is a privilege that I'm grateful for. By being a part of this program, I will be able to create and edit images and videos for any future projects that come my way, whether they be for further schooling or for a future career."

Breanna Prescott

Coloma High School

Digital Multimedia, Coloma HS

Counselor Connection

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By: Kelly Dargus, CTE/Perkins Consultant

The December 10th CTE South County Bus Tour did not disappoint!

The CTE Bus Tour is a once-a-year opportunity for local district personnel (and industry members) to tour north or south county CTE programming. The goal to showcase the programs available, and demonstrate student skills while emphasizing different career pathways students may pursue based on skills learned within the classes.

Attendees were spoiled with delicious treats, informative conversations and creative student displays.

A special thanks to the following programs for participating in the 2019 bus tour.

River Valley High School - Culinary Arts
Buchanan High School - CISCO (pictured above), Culinary and Cosmetology
Brandywine High School - Automotive, Machine Tool and Mechanical Drafting
Niles High School - Agriscience, Culinary Arts, Graphic Arts, and Mechatronics/Robotics and Welding.

Niles Agriscience

Niles Culinary

Buchanan Cosmetology

River Valley Culinary

Brandywine Auto-Technology

Niles/SMC Welding

Upcoming events:

March 24, 2020 School Counselor Military Training (pending 3 military SCECHS)

5th Year Early/Middle College

By: Melissa Springsteen

5th Year Early/Middle College Consultant

Cohort 5- Class of 2023 Applications are closing January 31, 2020

Family Interviews for Cohort 5 will take place at Berrien RESA on:

February 18, 2020
February 19, 2020
February 20, 2020 (only as needed)

Our second cohort of students will be graduating from the program in May, 2020

Lake Michigan College Graduation will take place on May 3, 2020
Southwestern Michigan College Graduation will take place on May 2, 2020

If you have questions, please contact

Melissa Springsteen

(269) 471-7725 Ext. 1304

Do you have a suggestion for the CTE Newsletter? Please contact Chris Machiniak or Mona Hunter .

PA56 Nondiscrimination Statemen t

It is the policy of the PA56 Consortium members that no person on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, weight, height, marital status, gender expression, judicial record, disability, and/or any other legally protected characteristic shall be bullied and/or discriminated against. This includes exclusion from participation in, benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any state or federally funded program or activity for which the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency or any member of the PA56 Consortium is responsible, or for which it receives state or federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. In addition to the above statement, arrangements may be made to ensure that language skills are not a barrier to admission or participation in Career & Technical Education programs within the Berrien County PA56 Consortium.