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Students enrolled in career and technical education courses in Forsyth County are ramping up for a very busy Winter/Spring. As students continue to prepare for upcoming region and state competitions with their Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSO's), they are also celebrating the successes of first semester - many of which you will read about below. Second semester will also bring the FCS College & Career Fair, Community Mock Interview Weeks, Building Your Brand Seminars, and End of Pathway industry certification testing for students. Look for upcoming emails from FCS College & Career Development as we request volunteers to help students prepare for these opportunities, along with advisory council meetings happening within the next few months.
Reminder: As we continue to grow the resources available for students and teachers, please let our office know how your occupation and life experiences can help influence our programs and consider becoming a partner with us. For more information about career and technical education in Forsyth County, visit www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/ccd or email vlowe@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Dr. Valery Lowe, Director of College and Career Development
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General Information and Opportunities to Get Involved
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By becoming a Career Path Partner with Forsyth County Schools, your organization allows students to go beyond the classroom and into the community to consider different career fields, learn basic workplace behavior, and develop specific skills within an industry. Through these experiences, students can apply what they are learning in the classroom as they prepare to transition into post-secondary education and training.
Click here for the Career Path Partner form or here to download a PDF version.
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Each year, over two thousand high school juniors and seniors participate in community-led mock interviews through their third-year career pathway course or through their participation in Work-Based Learning. This event is community-driven, as volunteers from across the county spend time creating an experience that will expose students to what is expected in a job interview, while providing constructive feedback on all aspects of the interview process.
Interested in volunteering?
We are searching for interviewers from the business community and would appreciate any help you can give us in finding qualified interviewers. Interviews do not have to have interviewing experience, as a script will be provided.
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High school course registration is quickly approaching.
Click here
for a deeper look into the career pathway offerings available for students in Forsyth County. This guide contains specific school-related information, as well as more specifics around CCD initiatives ongoing throughout the year!
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Alliance Academy for Innovation
officially broke ground in November on Lanier 400 Parkway. This high school campus will serve students 9-12 in advanced, high-demand, high-wage, high-growth occupations in our region. Students at this school will be able to take advantage of advanced internship opportunities, along with AP courses and Move On When Ready college credit through the University of North Georgia and Lanier Technical College.
Alliance Academy for Innovation is slated to open for the 2018-19 school year and anticipates offering the career pathway options listed below:
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- Aeronautics
- Distribution and Logistics
- Energy Systems
- EMS/EMT
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Graphic Design
- Healthcare IT
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Law Enforcement Services
- Legal Services
- Mechatronics
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The campus will also be home to the Mike and Lynn Cottrell Junior Achievement Discovery Center, a middle school program centered around financial literacy and business citizenship. Click here to see a nearby location of this concept!
Brandi Cannizzaro Named Principal
Brandi Cannizzaro, currently an assistant principal at Lambert HS, will assume the duties of principal of Alliance Academy for Innovation on July 1, 2017. Mrs. Cannizzaro began her career as a math teacher in DeKalb County and has worked in the high school setting since 1997 in the roles of math teacher, IB coordinator, administrative assistant, and assistant principal. She has worked in Forsyth County since 2004 at both South Forsyth HS and Lambert HS. She has a special interest in CTAE programs at the high school level, so she will take her experience and passion into the leadership of Alliance Academy for Innovation!
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FCS College and Career Development is joining with the
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
and the entire CTE community to celebrate CTE Month! CTE Month 2017, with its tagline of "Celebrate Today, Own Tomorrow!", gives the district an opportunity to inform others of the innovation and excellence that exists within our local CTE programs and raise awareness of the crucial role that CTE plays in readying our students for careers and our nation for economic success.
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Did You Know?
There are 16,683 students in CTAE in grades 6-12 in Forsyth County, 966,351 students in CTAE in grades 6-12 in Georgia, and
7,502,727
students in CTE in grades 9-12 in the United States!
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Generation Google Scholarship:
The
Generation Google Scholarship
helps aspiring computer scientists excel in technology and become leaders in the field. Selected students will receive 10,000 USD (for those studying in the US) or 5,000 CAD (for those studying in Canada) for the 2017-2018 school year. As part of the scholarship, current high school seniors who are entering their first year of university in 2017-2018 will be required to attend
Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
in the summer of 2017.
Computer Science Summer Institute:
Google is invested in increasing the enrollment and retention of computer science students. With this in mind, they are hosting our 10th annual
Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
, a three-week introduction to computer science for graduating high school seniors with an interest in technology — especially students from historically underrepresented groups in the field. It's an intensive, interactive, hands-on and fun program that seeks to inspire the tech leaders and innovators of tomorrow by supporting the study of computer science, software engineering, and other closely related subjects. CSSI is available in Atlanta, GA July 10-28th.
Students will be provided with a travel stipend and expected to commute into the Google offices for each day of CSSI.
Please visit
g.co/cssi
for more information/apply! Application deadline: March 2, 2017.
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The Northside Forsyth VolunTeen program offers high school teens, 6-18 years of age, a comprehensive six week summer program in the health care industry. A teen is assigned to one department and volunteers one day a week for a four hour shift. Two Lunch and Learn events are offered to the teens during the summer session.
For more information, please visit:
http://northsideforsythauxiliary.com/volunteen.php.
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North Forsyth HS hosts the only JROTC program in the county. The course curriculum offers a wide range of topics and, while the course is structured within a military-style environment, it is not intended to be solely for students who have an interest in joining the military. The JROTC program is designed to promote individual responsibility, teamwork, organizational skills and an appreciation of patriotism.
The JROTC program enjoys a national reputation for excelling in Drill, Color Guard, Marksmanship and physical training competitions, providing real-world leadership experience opportunities, and in developing mature, self-sufficient leaders.
NOTE: Students not in the North Forsyth HS district who would like to enroll in the JROTC program can submit an Out of District Request. The request must be submitted by January 31, 2017. Additional information about the JROTC program can be obtained from the North Forsyth HS website or by calling Major Kelly at 770-781-6637 X 160713.
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Dianne King -
South Forsyth HS
Dianne King, business teacher at South Forsyth HS, grew up in Charleston where she met and married her high school sweetheart. Dianne began her career working for the Navy as a Personnel Management Specialist but fell in love with education while working as a substitute when her children were young. Dianne worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for 18 years in the roles of high school business and marketing teacher, elementary teacher assistant, and Career Development Coordinator prior to coming to Forsyth.
“She is warm, caring, and someone who wants to get involved. She cares about her students and goes above and beyond to ensure they are being successful.”
- C
arrie MacCallaster, South Forsyth HS Assistant Principal
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Student Internship Spotlights
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Kate Shadburn is a Work-Based Learning student at Lambert HS currently interning at Adtech Global. As a marketing intern, Kate supports all aspects of marketing, from creating promotional pieces to CRM.
"Kate is a smart, compassionate, hard-working student with a lot of potential. She is very certain of who she is and what she wants to accomplish, unlike most at her age."
- Haley Partus, Supervisor
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Rhea Sharma
South Forsyth HS
Rhea Sharma is a Honors Mentorship student at South Forsyth HS currently interning in the law office of Arthur Leach. Rhea has had an inside look into many of the regular dealings of a law office, including aspects of cases.
"One of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do was sitting in on a deposition and learning the many components it encompasses. I really enjoy my internship because I’m gaining an experience that most people don’t have until they’ve graduated college."
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Rhea Sharma, Student
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BUSINESS ETHICS EXPERIENCE
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In October, The Collection at Forsyth hosted Forsyth County high school students at the second annual BEE-2 Business Ethics Experience. Activities immersed students in business environments and provided "real-life" scenarios to enhance their understanding of how ethics impact business.
Sponsors for the event included:
BB&T Center for Ethical Business Leadership, Chick-Fil-A at The Collection of Forsyth, Carta Bella, The Joint Chiropractic, Aria Salon and Spa, Jim N Nicks, Mellow Mushroom, Bravura, AMC Theaters, & Barnes and Noble.
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North Forsyth HS Marketing
Congratulations to North Forsyth HS for completing industry certification for their marketing pathways. Their program went through a very stringent industry certification process receiving the "stamp of excellence" which represents the apex of program quality. Only those programs that have successfully undergone rigorous reviews by leaders from business and industry are recognized with this distinction. Their certification team was made up of officials from the American Marketing Association, State Dept,of Education, the Dept, of Labor, and the GA Association of Career and Technical Education.
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Forsyth Central HS STEM Academy
In a effort to give potential STEM students insight into the program and curriculum, Forsyth Central HS hosted a STEM Expo day in December to allow 8th grade students to immerse themselves in the STEM Academy. The integrated program focused on a Zombie outbreak theme. The students determined the outbreak source using ELISA techniques followed by a titration of zombie brains to determine infection levels. Students designed, built, and programmed automated vehicles to maneuver antidote through the zombie hoard, and mathematical geo caching to determine a coded message. In the final challenge, students designed and built capsules and parachutes to transport the zombies to Mars.
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Riverwatch MS FBLA raised $650 for March of Dimes. Pictured here, students are presenting a check to the March of Dimes Forsyth Representative Michele Beal. Way to go Riverwatch MS FBLA!
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Congratulations to North Forsyth HS DECA who placed 7th in Ecolink’s marketing social media challenge! Ecolink’s owner, Brandon Pelissero, recently presented the DECA chapter with a check for $325. The chapter also earned an honorable mention for embracing the LinkedIn Challenge.
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North Forsyth HS Food Science
North Forsyth HS Food Science students took a field trip to tour the home office of Chick-Fil-A. Students learned the history of the company and were able to see the behind the scenes activities!
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Food Science students completed a product development project where they had to come up with their own concept. Students went through product testing through focus groups and analyzing ingredients in the food. Food for Life teamed up with Lambert HS's school nutrition program to taste test different products.
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North Forsyth HS Sports Medicine
South Forsyth Rotary Club recently made significant investments back into the community. Proceeds from their annual fundraiser were awarded to four local community resources. North Forsyth HS's Sports Medicine pathway was selected as one of the recipients!
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North Forsyth MS Robotics
One of the North Forsyth MS Robotics teams won 1st place at VEX Robotic Starstruck Competion Event 1 in November and Event 2 in December. Team members include: Andrew Priego, Isabelle Bonam, Rajeshwari Raja (pictured), and Justin Wagner (pictured).
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South Forsyth HS Robotics
South Forsyth VEX Robotics teams performed well at VEX Robotics Starstruck qualifer in December. Teams 1961A and D joined forces to win 1st place in the tournament. Team 1961B was on the 2nd place alliance and won awards for robot skills and excellence awards. Teams 1961E and G made the final tournament as well and competed in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
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Hanna Hayes, FCCLA Vice-President at North Forsyth HS, entered her delicious Fall Baked Apples in the Cumming Fair bake off and won first place. Hanna created this amazing recipe using apples from the local orchard, BJ Reece.
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For the second year, Herff Jones has paired up with DECA to host the Herff Jones Marketing Results Challenge. Melissa Poloncarz and Lindsey Fischer from Forsyth Central HS performed a series of advertising campaigns to increase yearbook sales within their school. With the data collected they worked to put together a 10-minute video and a 10-page report, explaining the value of yearbooks and advertising strategies to promote sales. Fischer and Poloncarz are in the top 3 nationwide and will be moving on to the finals at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida in February, to present in front of a panel of Herff Jones executives.
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In November, South Forsyth HS FBLA attended the Fall Leadership Conference in Athens. The chapter received several recognitions, including Chapter Checkpoint, 300 Member Club, and 2nd place in Georgia in membership. During the General Session on Wednesday night, results from the statewide Open Testing held during Fall Rally in October were announced. South Forsyth HS won six first place awards and a total of 11 awards.
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Multi-tasking is the word of the month for West Forsyth HS DECA, as 152 students are preparing for state competition. At the same time, their school-based-enterprises are sending off their documentation for being Gold Certified. And let’s not forget the preparation and practice for their Prom Fashion Show production on January 26, 2017!
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Forsyth Central HS Engine Teams
Congratulations to
Forsyth Central
HS’s Engine Building Teams for their selection to and performance at the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Dual National Championship in Indianapolis in December. With only 49 teams nationwide selected,
Forsyth Central
HS had 3 teams qualify and “Team Holley” made it to the Elite 8 and placed 2nd overall.
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Lambert HS's Vice President of Social Media, Natalie Kandul, recently had an article published on making presentations "pop" published on DECA Direct. Check it out here!
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West Forsyth HS Engineering
West Forsyth HS Engineering Research & Design are
working on the Electric race car to take to Pensacola, FL to race in April. Students have been working hard to prepare for this great opportunity!
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