Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Students praise CTE programs
Counselors: Students see more options on road to graduation
High school graduation season awaits seniors where they’ll receive diplomas and celebrate a milestone moment with family and friends.
A renewed focus on career and technical education programs gives graduates more options than before in preparing for life after high school, according to area educators.
Lesli Zeagler, a college counselor at Fayetteville High School, said she’s never seen this much student interest in the career and technical education path in her 23 years as a counselor.
“I think CTE courses can really help a student put knowledge into action and show the practical application of things they are learning in science, math or English,” Zeagler said. “When students talk about their futures, most do not have any idea what they want to do, and this creates a great deal of confusion, stress, and sometimes they don’t want to think about it at all, so they put it off.
“They only know a small fraction of the jobs and careers out there, so it is difficult to navigate the process if they don’t know what they don’t know,” she said.
Career and technical education programs at area high schools offer training and certification opportunities in a variety of fields, including the medical profession, industrial maintenance, diesel mechanics and skilled trades.
The programs help students narrow their career focus, said Tina McClure, in her second year as lead counselor for Rogers Public Schools after 13 years as a counselor at Rogers Heritage High School.
“Sometimes, they find they love something,” McClure said. “Sometimes, they rule something out.”
The rise of career and technical education is a big change, she said. Skills students learn can transfer immediately to the workplace or lead to college, and the training and experience provide confidence moving forward, she said.
“When I first started, there was such a push for college, college, college,” McClure said. “Again, CTE doesn’t mean you’re not going to college because there’s several things within that area that you’re still going to college for. It gives them a chance to explore so many more things while in high school.”
Zeagler said some students are interested in a career, but don’t want to go through a four-year degree program. More of her students are starting to choose the junior college or trade school path because it’s cheaper and they can join the workforce faster and earn a nice salary, Zeagler said.
She said some students are terrified of making the wrong career choice.
“Many students have this idea that they have to pick something at 18, and they will do it for the rest of their lives,” Zeagler said.
Career and technical ed- ucation help in that regard, she said.
“CTE courses also allow students to explore interests,” Zeagler said. “Those interests might end up being a career, or they might not. A student may take a CTE course in something they thought sounded interesting, but when they explored it a bit, found that it was not for them. And knowing what you don’t like is just as important as knowing what you do like.”
HIGH SCHOOL DONE RIGHT
Bentonville High School senior Preston Pschierer said the School District’s Ignite Professional Studies program helped him discover what he’s passionate about, and internships proved key.
“It’s a head start to professionalism,” Pschierer said.
Among his internship highlights were serving in the mayor’s office, working on an affordable housing report for the city and working closely with a certified financial adviser, Pschierer said.
“The Ignite program is what high school should be,” he said, noting students get to experiment with different aspects of the professional world. “If you’re interested in construction, you get to go to the site. If you’re interested in the medical field, you get to go to hospitals and do EMT training. If you’re interested in being a teacher, you get to shadow different teachers around the district. I think high school should really just be giving you opportunities to discover in yourself what you want to do.”
Pschierer said he’ll attend the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in the fall and major in finance with a concentration on investment and portfolio management.
‘GREAT EXPERIENCE’
Rogers High School senior Caleb Hudgins said he’ll attend Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, with a double major of exercise science and nutrition education.
Career and technical education classes have helped him, Hudgins said.
“I took multiple marketing classes, economics classes and this year a marketing management class, which was super helpful,” Hudgins said. “The main thing we learned was how to deal with people, not just market a product, but to market yourself. Those were some of the skills that really helped me.”
He said Rogers teachers really care about outside-the-classroom learning and community involvement for their students.
Hudgins said he had “a great experience in the CTE program overall. I just loved it.”
ON FASTER TRACK
Bentonville High School senior Rachel Saulsbery said she wants to be an elementary schoolteacher.
“I always knew that I wanted to go into education since I was little,” she said.
Courses she completed through the Ignite program quickened the process, Saulsbery said.
Saulsbery said she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with a minor in English. She wants to add a master’s degree in teaching, with a focus on gifted education.
“I’m able to do this in either three or four years,” Saulsbery said. “Usually, it’s a five-year program. But because of the classes I’ve taken and the experience I have, I’ll be able to do that early.”
The five classes she took through the district’s partnership with Northwest Arkansas Community College all transferred to the university.
PLANNING FOR SUCCESS
Educators in the Diploma Plus career and technical education program at the Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale start the ball rolling by meeting with every eighth grader to create student success plans, said Casey Krisell, the school’s lead counselor.
“It’s very individualized,” Krisell said. “It’s what’s best for the student.”
The preparation technically begins in the sixth grade at the public charter school with the offering of elective pathways for students to consider, Krisell said.
“Then in the eighth grade, we kind of narrow down,” she said. “Hey, here are all the opportunities available to you. Let’s start planning what that looks like for you for the next four years. It’s a lot of planning on the front end before they ever get into high school.”
All students also take college and career readiness courses, she said.
Through an agreement with Northwest Arkansas Community College, students take college courses at a reduced rate, Krisell said. Some have a full associate degree before they finish high school, she said.
Even if a student doesn’t complete the entire associate degree path, he still leaves with credits that transfer to colleges, said Megan Thornton, administrative assistant to the principal at the Tyson School of Innovation.
The school also works with Northwest Technical Institute on trades programs, industrial maintenance and diesel mechanics, with a licensed practical nurse program to start in the next school year, Krisell said.
Tyson School of Innovation students have graduated with as many as 50-plus Occupational Safety and Health Administration certifications, Thornton said, with the school’s community partners eager to offer jobs.
“We give lots of opportunities to try different things,” Krissel said, allowing students to hone skills and discover their talents.