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News for students, families and friends | June 2024

Continued Momentum

This school year has provided a steady stream of proud moments, from celebrating our students' many achievements to honoring the contributions of our talented staff. Career Tech is a school filled with the promise of continued growth and progress.

We reflect on the life of educator Jack Drew who passed in January and remember how his 40-year career paved the way for Career Tech. Another remarkable event was the establishment of the Paul Safina Character & Achievement Scholarship. Paul has served as a volunteer paraprofessional for 17-years, instilling in Career Tech students a belief in hard work and resilience.

While success and milestones are often plentiful at Career Tech, we do not take them for granted. Our students, families and staff benefit from the momentum generated by these accomplishments. We will continue to fuel the progress toward their goals and dreams.

Respectfully,

Pat Lamb

Assistant Superintendent of Career & Technical Education

Northwest Education Services



At Home with Career Tech:

Connections & Relationships

This year, 558 Career Tech students participated in a survey about their connections and relationships at our school. Their feedback indicated the majority have a strong sense of connectedness while attending Career Tech. In fact, 89% of those surveyed indicated they agreed or strongly agreed that they have at least one adult at Career Tech that they can count on to help and support them.  

We strive to create a positive learning environment for students by welcoming them each day, getting to know them, and building an atmosphere where they feel comfortable to engage. The Social Emotional Learning team regularly identifies strategies that enhance student engagement because we believe that connectedness leads to success.

Career Tech Awards Night

It was an incredible evening celebrating our students at the annual Career Tech Awards Night! Hundreds of students, family members and staff gathered at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa on May 28 to honor our students with awards and scholarships. Career Tech gives out thousands of dollars each year in student scholarships, which are made possible by generous contributions from individuals and community partners in the region.

SUPPORT STUDENTS: Contributions to the Career Tech Scholarship Fund are welcome any time and are sincerely appreciated. For more information about donating to Career Tech's scholarship fund, click here. To view more photos from Career Tech Awards Night and other events, find us on Facebook (@North Ed Career Tech).

Law Enforcement Academy Bound

Five Public Safety students will be attending the Michigan State Police Law Enforcement Career Academy in Lansing this June. Thanks to sponsorships from the TC Kiwanis Club and Team One Credit Union, the following students get to experience one of the most prestigious police academies in the nation: Andre Knupp (TC Central), Peyton Brown (Glen Lake), Hunter Read (Glen Lake), Camryn Fancher (TC West) and Garrett Martz (Kingsley).

Showcasing Career Tech Innovation

Career Tech Engineering Academy staff and students joined North Ed Assistant Superintendent Pat Lamb and Superintendent Nick Ceglarek for a statewide conference on educational innovations. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was the keynote speaker at the East Lansing event to highlight cutting-edge education programs that are innovative and produce significant student success. What School Could Be: Michigan brought together Michigan schools that are leading the way in innovations. Representing Career Tech in the panel discussion was Engineering Academy instructor Debby Oliver and students Preston Breitmeyer (homeschooled/Buckley), Logan DeFour (Leland) and Maddy Stewart (Benzie Academy). Read more

Teed Up for Students

The 29th annual Career Tech Scholarship Golf Outing is Sept. 15 and online registration is open!

The event supports scholarship opportunities for students to continue their education and training after high school. For those who may be interested in event sponsorship packages, learn more here.

For additional information, contact Matt or Maggie at 231.922.6322.

Early Education Students Score Gold

Competing for scholarships and honing their leadership skills, Early Education students put their best feet forward at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) state leadership conference in Dearborn. Several students who entered the Professional Presentation competition received gold honors:

• Paige Bell (GT Academy)
• Serafina Boonstra (Kingsley)
• Rylee Ellison (TC Central)
• Karoline Haapala (TC Central)
• Jalynn Morris (Mancelona)
• Johanna Okeke (Elk Rapids)
• Kira Roy (TC Central)
• Bailey Stege (Mancelona)
• Kailey Stover (Benzie)
• Isabelle Tulgetske (Benzie)

In addition, Florence Stoeckel (TC Central) received gold honors and advances to the FCCLA national competition in Seattle in late June.

“Our student competitors invested significant energy into their presentations focused on education and families,” explained Early Education instructor Mel Dahlman. “They chose topics to present that they are passionate about. It’s challenging to inform the judges with persuasion, poise and creativity – all while balancing the pressure of competition. I’m so proud of our students and how well they performed.”

Read more

Photos Lifting Voices

A team of Career Tech students teamed up to create the 2024 Photovoice project, illustrating what diversity means to young people. The student-created exhibit showcased how they experience diversity in this region. “Photovoice gives us a chance to express our experiences around cultural diversity. We all come from different backgrounds and living in this area with less diversity, we hope the project creates a sense of community and builds empathy and understanding,” said Health Sciences student Miaja Williams (TC Central).

Read more

Film & New Media, Graphic Arts and Power Equipment Students Earn Top Honors at SkillsUSA

Career Tech students put their skills to the test at the SkillsUSA State Conference in Grand Rapids in April. Several took top honors in their contests, and those who earned gold advance to the June SkillsUSA national conference in Atlanta. We are proud of all Career Tech students who competed. Read more

Film & New Media

Gold Team - Digital Cinema

Zoe Kline (Elk Rapids)

Katarina Schoenow (Homeschooled)

"The Art of Financing"

Bronze Team - Digital Cinema

Luella Killian Welch (TC Central)

Aja Kuhlman (TC Central)

"Agents for Hire"

Graphic Arts

Gold - Pin Design

Amelia Clair (Kingsley)

Silver - Pin Design

Alyson Boven (TC Christian)

Power Equipment

Silver - Motorcycle Service Technology

Callie Reneaud (TC Central)

Bronze - Marine Service Technology

Sawyer Couturier (Leland)

Bronze - Power Equipment Technology

Noah Frank (TC Central)

Teddy Bear Clinic

Health Sciences students hosted a Teddy Bear Clinic on May 30 with students from Traverse City Area Public Schools' Eastern Elementary. Using teddy bears as "patients," the elementary students got to learn from juniors and seniors in the Health Sciences program about some of the basic care and procedures one might expect when visiting a hospital or provider.

Engineering Academy Competes

A busload of Engineering Academy students competed in the ultimate robotics competition recently. Located in Marion, OH, National Robotics Challenge (NRC) is the longest running competition of its kind and it featured 486 robots in 13 competitions with 1,300 participants from 27 middle schools, 40 high schools and 16 colleges and universities.

The Gears of Glory team earned a bronze medal in the sumo robot category (pictured at top) and a nomination for the prestigious Honda Innovation Award:

• Evan Chandler (Benzie)
• Logan DeFour (Leland)
• Emmett Jaquish (Benzie)

Engineering Academy's rescue robot team, The Fidgets (pictured right), finished fifth out of 27 in the field:

• Preston Breitmeyer (homeschool/Buckley)
• Kai Collins (Mancelona)
• Owen Lawson (TC Central)
• Nicole Watt (TC Central)

There were also teams that competed in the autonomous vehicle challenge and robo hockey, along with the micromouse category, which included nine teams made up of Engineering Academy juniors. Instructor Michael George praised their efforts: “I’m really proud of our kids’ persistence in building competitive robots. Our teams encountered electrical, mechanical and programming hurdles that they had to troubleshoot. It’s not easy to compete at this level and it’s refreshing to watch them support one another and learn from the experience.”

Career Tech Instructors Cultivate Skills

Career Tech is known for holding its students accountable and nurturing their best possible achievements. The same is true for instructors and staff. Assistant Principal Matt Griesinger and Curriculum Supervisor Chris Haines administered a series of observation events at Career Tech, welcoming 96 educators from 12 schools in the five-county region to participate in "rounds" througout the school year. On three occasions, educators visited to observe Career Tech instruction, provide constructive feedback and also return to their districts with best practices. The objective is to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of Career Tech's instruction and to foster collaboration with other educators.

Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Career Tech Power Equipment instructor Jared Diephouse who was honored as Teacher of the Year at the Region 1 ACTE Conference in New York. The region includes D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia. Read more

Generous Gift to Information Technology Program

Junior Ronin Ricker (TC High School) worked with Skilled Manufacturing Inc. (SMI) in Traverse City to coordinate a $1,200 donation to the Career Tech Information Technology program this spring. The students in the program and Instructor Colin O'Brien are thankful for the generous donation and thrilled with all the equipment they were able to purchase with it.

Check the Student

Job Board

Did you know there are employment opportunities posted on the Career Tech website? Check it regularly for job postings in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. Current students and recent graduates are encouraged to apply. 

Northwest Education Services

Career Tech

880 Parsons Road, Traverse City, MI 49686

Tel. 231.922.6273 |  NorthwestEd.org