February is CTE Month

Every February, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) community celebrates CTE month to raise awareness of the role they play in readying students for success after high school.

CTE is widely credited with providing students the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training to succeed in their future careers.

According to careertech.org, around 12 million students in both high school and college are enrolled in CTE, where they are prepared for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies and by providing academic content in a hands-on context.

The high school graduation rate for CTE concentrators is around 90 percent, 15 percentage points higher than the national average.

Here in Eddy County, students at the New Rockford-Sheyenne school have the opportunity to take a variety of CTE classes, including Culture and Cuisine, Entrepreneurship, Child Development and Tech and Engineering. Through these classes they participate in hands-on projects such as a Chili Cook-Off and mock interviews, engage with elementary students and learn about careers in the community from local leaders.

Students also engage outside the classroom, through organizations such as the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

The first-year advisor of FCCLA at NR-S, Molly Rzaszutak, said this year has been a lot of growing and learning, but also tons of fun as she and the FCCLA members participate in various activities.

"Students have gone to the district leadership meeting, created tie blankets that were donated to our local public health, and we have had multiple member nights so far," said Rzaszutak.

She added that during those member nights they get together and often do fun activities as a group, such as decorating and baking.

"Another thing that we were proud to start back up this year at the school was the Hearts and Kisses for Valentine's Day," said Rzaszutak. "This is something that had been a tradition at the school for many years, so we were excited to get it back, and we had great success!"

Looking ahead to the rest of the school year, Rzaszutak said they've been reaching out to a couple of groups to see if they can volunteer in the community, and they'll also be attending the state FCCLA Conference in Bismarck this April.

Meanwhile, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), which is the largest career and technical student organization in the world, is actively helping NR-S students prepare for careers in business.

Courtney Wiesz, the NR-S advisor for FBLA, who's also in her first year, said her group of kids, at just four strong, is small but passionate about business.

"Since we are a small group, the biggest thing we have coming up is the State Leadership Conference in April," said Wiesz. "I have two students attending. They will be competing in two competitions each. They are both extremely talented students."

Both Wiesz and Rzaszutak are hoping to see their local chapters grow, as they believe CTE is a great way to prepare students for life after school.

"CTE is important to students because the classes taught are real-life skills," said Wiesz. "These types of skills allow kids to develop strong technical and employability skills. They can be prepared for so many careers and also be ready for adult life."

"CTE is so important!" added Rzaszutak. "It provides students with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that can help to prepare them for their futures in college and the workplace. In CTE there are also many opportunities for hands-on learning, which many students thrive on."