The Porter County Career and Technical Center (PCCTC) celebrated Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month by having spirit week during the week of February 22 where the students had a theme to dress as every day. On the first day, students wore pajamas, the second day students wore their college shirts, on Thursday students participated in crazy hair day, and finally, on Friday students and teachers dressed for success.
With the third quarter coming to an end, health science students are nearing the finish line for their clinicals. Throughout this time, students have learned how to properly take care of patients with the help of certified nursing assistants (CNA). Some of the tasks students completed were bathing, changing, feeding, grooming, and assisting patients in any way they need.
The Porter County TV (PCTV) social media platforms are up and running. The video and media productions class created a Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page to update students and parents on dates of broadcasted meets or games and to give a heads-up when the class will be live for PCTV News.
The video and media class just finished their 10-day film challenge. Students had 10 days to create a movie that was three to four minutes long and could only work on it during school hours and on school property.
The morning class created a movie based on the sports and games genre. The afternoon class split into two groups, and the genres were ghost story and romance. This project was sent to the creators of the 10-day film challenge for them to judge and critique the project. All the students worked together and learned what it takes to produce a movie through this 10-day assignment.
On Friday, March 12, the Porter County Career and Technical Center had another e-learning day that was performed through asynchronous learning.
In the computer and animation design class, students are working on architecture projects and creating different animations through the programs the class uses.
The construction class began working on a big project as a group. Their task is to build a shed together. After the shed is built, the career center plans on selling it.
On Tuesday, March 16, mentors of each vocational class created a presentation to show the eighth graders from different schools in Porter County what each vocational class has to offer. Each presentation was designed for a Zoom call with different schools since they are not able to meet in person at this time.
The videos for each class will be posted on the PCCTC website for any student who is interested to see. Each video will be posted under the eighth grade section of the website.
What’s coming up
The two health science classes finished their clinical rotations the week before spring break. Throughout the last seven weeks, students learned many of the skills they need to become a CNA.
Jocelyn Meier, a health science student, said her favorite part of clinicals was bonding with residents and helping the nurses with different procedures in the nursing home.
Now that the class has completed their clinical rotation, they will soon take the CNA test to become certified.
Classroom highlight
Cosmetology is one of the many classes available at PCCTC. The cosmetology class, which are run by Suzie Fitts and Hannah Baltzell, offers students many opportunities. The cosmetology class is a two-year program where students learn the skills they need to hop on to a career in cosmetology.
Some of the learned skills in this program includes different hairstyles and perms, nail care, skin care, and how to properly cut and dye hair.
Throughout the two years of the cosmetology class, students partake in both interactive learning and book work. This course teaches everything the students need to know in order to become a cosmetologist.
The cosmetology school is open to the public for beauty services Monday through Friday after school. When the beauty depot opens for the public, both first and second-year students can use the services the depot offers. Since the students are allowed to work on actual customers, they can receive stamps and hours that lead toward receiving their cosmetology license.
Student highlight
Carle Palmer is a second-year student in the cosmetology program at PCCTC. After high school, Palmer plans on pursuing a career in the cosmetology field. Her favorite part about cosmetology is coloring hair or doing manicures.
Palmer's favorite hairstyle to perform are braids or different kinds of curls. If Palmer finishes her cosmetology hours early and receives her license, she will be able to finish out the year at a hair salon in Valparaiso.
Throughout the two years, Palmer has spent in the beauty depot, the most important lesson she learned has been working well with others, and meeting new people as she takes clients.