Eighth-graders from McMichael Middle School descended on the Malcolm Rector Center for Advanced Careers and Innovation Wednesday and Thursday for CTE Showcase, an up-close examination of the career and technical education opportunities they have to choose from when they arrive in August at Nacogdoches High School as freshmen.
And the sales pitches come from someone they might listen to: Nacogdoches High School seniors who have moved up through the programs and can also recall making their own visit to the showcase when they were eighth-graders.
“Yes, when we were getting set up today, some of the seniors said they could remember coming over here to see what CTE had to offer,” said Shawn Lucena, NISD’s Director of Career and Technical Education.
While the students visiting NHS still have a few months to go in middle school, the time is now to begin making choices about what their senior year will look like, Lucena said.
“We want students – and their parents – to understand what’s possible and what’s available before they reach high school,” said Lucena. That included a meeting held Tuesday evening for parents to examine what options are available.
On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, students were bused to the high school where current NHS students detailed the course selection options available, led students on tours of the extensive CTE offerings and answered questions from the soon-to-be high school students.
Before this week’s field trips, eighth-graders had already received an indication of what's possible in the CTE courses; there are 15 modules available in the McMichael CTE classroom that students work with while still in middle school.
“Our high school CTE leaders do a great job with the showcase,” said Lucena, Director of Career & Technical Education. “These eighth-graders are going to be much more interested in hearing about opportunities from our high school students. It makes it more real to them.”
Opportunities available within the CTE department at Nacogdoches High School include: animal science, computer science, welding, engineering, construction, law enforcement, robotics, cosmetology/barbering, graphic design, teaching and training, automotive, culinary arts, marketing and sales, information technology, health science – PCT/phlebotomy/EKG, health science – EMT, and health informatics – medical billing and coding.