#1StudentNWI: New School Sessions at the Porter County Career and Technical Center

PCCTCBacktoSchool1School is back in session! This year we have a fresh new class of juniors and we excitedly welcome them into all of our programs! Now that classes are back in session, the health students are back at work at achieving their CNA licenses! Each class is diligently working on their personal goals and doing all the fun things that come with each career class.

To start off the school year, every class traditionally does their tour of the building to highlight the important parts of each program. One cool thing we do have that was mentioned previously was that we have solar panels on our roof. It is a very cool and interesting feature that surprises students every year. New students also enjoy the idea that in the mornings and a few weeks in the afternoon there will be a store opened with lots of snacks and drinks to hold you over during class.

PCCTCBacktoSchool2The students also get to see a little bit of what the other classes get to enjoy in their career path. For example, they get to see all the cool technology the Video Productions class has access to so they can make the best videos out there! We are excited to start off this school year so well and excited for all of the events to come!

This Friday, August 28th, the health classes will be doing a blood drive for the Red Cross. Last year they were the #1 high school that donated in the area and hope to be #1 again! As a school we understand how much of a difference donating blood can do and we hope to contributing lots of blood to the area throughout the school year to also support our hard working health students!

PCCTCBacktoSchool3Coming up in the future the store will be opening! Every October the Entrepreneurship class opens a store that is student led so that they can get a taste of what it is really like to have your own business! Mrs. Gaulin, the business teacher spends these next few weeks training the students so they can work on improving and operating the store through the whole school year. The name for the store is picked right before opening and the grand opening always includes local celebrities and of course we are excited to see the classes success! Check us out in October for all the details of grand opening!

Teacher Shout out Mrs. Ellis is a student coordinator for the Porter County Career and Technical Center and she has the most creative job and it really makes a difference. She is a student coordinator; she helps with helping apply to college or students wanting to vent about personal issues. The most interesting part of her job is that she not only is available the whole day in her office but she is involved in every single class throughout the entire school year. She goes out of her way to know each student on a personal level and also helps the teachers with their 'ice breakers' so the classes get to know each other better.

Mrs. Ellis should be greatly recognized for all of her great help, her amazing personality and the amount of help she offers to everyone that attends or works at the career center. She and Mrs. Sorenson involve all classes in a program called FISHphilosophy, which motivates students to be better people not only in the school but in the community as well. This program also brings students together in each classroom in a unique way. Mrs. Ellis has done great things for our school and our community for which we are extremely grateful!

Lastly, we would like to shout out a returning student, Jarred Root. Jarred participated in the Entrepreneurship and Sports/Entertainment marketing class that was held in the morning last year. Both of the business classes participate in DECA every year and most of the students make it down to state; last year Jarred participated in the state competition and medaled in his topic!

The competition includes 2 different role plays and a written test with advanced business concepts. The state competition took place in Indianapolis where both of the classes that competed stayed for a few days.

Jarred was also a store manager and the computer technology person last year. This year Jarred is taking the Marketing Internship class, which is that afternoon class; also held by Mrs. Gaulin. The class meets every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for a little over an hour and requires a job so the students learn from the outside fields that marketing and business are really everywhere.

Jarred Root’s home school is Boone Grove High School where he currently plays for the varsity boys’ soccer team. Jarred looks forward to another great school year and another year of opportunities!