CHS introduces CTE classes to middle school students

How students are approaching careers for their future is constantly evolving by shifting the focus to not only follow a passion but to find something reliable long-term.

Carson High School is supporting that mentality for middle and high school students, by offering Career and Technical Education workshops and fairs. About 650 students from Carson and Eagle Valley middle schools have been touring CTE classrooms Wednesday and today at CHS, to discover careers in high-wage and high-demand areas.

Health and Information is one of the careers continuously hiring in the region, along with manufacturing, said Michele Lewis, administrator of CTE Programs.

“Some parents have a perception to choose a career for their child’s path,” she said. “But we also want students to meet the teachers and make more informed choices to benefit college preparations.”

The purpose of CTE is for students to participate in a range of career options and build academic engagement, career self-efficacy, and employability skills. With 1,786 students involved in the program at CHS, academics are integrated into CTE programs, creating a relevant curriculum for all students.

CTE students are required to complete two-year introductory classes before choosing an emphasis.

Although the CTE workshop has been a part of CHS for the last three years, a student decides to take on the event not only for her senior project, but to help enhance its functions.

Jia Wong-Fortunato, 17, president of Health Occupation Students of America at CHS, is passionate about informing middle school students what CTE offers.

“I just hope they gain something from this,” she said. “They need to know this is their future. There are specific paths to know about, like how to get prerequisites for veterinary science, engineering, or pharmaceutical studies.”

Students were split into groups and visited classrooms for five minute seminars, including architecture, welding, web design and IT technology.

Casanova Segura, an eighth grade student at EVMS, said he was already inspired after touring a couple of classrooms.

“I never knew they had a 3D printer at the high school,” he said. “It’s a cool experience to learn about the programs you can do. I really want to get into engineering.”

EVMS eighth grade teacher Kristin Cable is teaching in her second year at the school and admired the program.

“I taught in Las Vegas for a while and I’ve never seen a program like this before,” she said. “It’s amazing to see what kind of options there are for every kid.”

Students will have the opportunity to network with Northern Nevada companies seeking CTE skills at the Career Expo at CHS from 6-8 p.m. March 1.

For information about CTE enrollment at CHS, visit carsoncte.com.