CTC Career Talk

Thank you for a wonderful and well attended CTC Open House on October 24th. FCPS students and parents were able to visit the 26 career programs we offer at CTC; serving FCPS students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade from all ten county high schools. Students and staff members were on-hand to provide information about their respective program and to answer questions. In addition, business representatives and post-secondary institutions were also available to provide additional information about career and post-secondary opportunities.

Our annual Open House is a great way for us to kick-off the CTC Shadowing process which runs November 12 through February 27. Students interested in applying to a CTC program must first schedule a shadow experience for the program(s) they would like to apply. Shadowing is mandatory for applying to any program offered at CTC. Students may shadow and apply for up to two programs and are encouraged to select programs to shadow by talking with their high school counselor or by checking out the programs on our CTC web site.

As always, we welcome your questions, comments and suggestions. Please feel free to call or email me or any staff member any time, and keep the lines of communication open so that we can, together, support and challenge “our” students.

Sincerely,

Michael Concepcion - Principal

Regular daily attendance is expected and critical to a child's academic success. Parents' support of regular daily attendance is essential. Parents are encouraged to notify the school on the day their child is absent. A note stating the reason for absence or lateness is required upon students' return, or the absence is automatically classified as unlawful until an approved note is provided. Students who were absent from school have the responsibility to request make-up work within two days of their return. For details, please see Regulation 400-98.

Families of students accumulating excessive absences will be notified routinely by letter. With continued absences, a doctor’s verification may be required for additional days beyond the monthly and quarterly maximum. IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who are granted out-of-district status and do not comply with school rules and regulations (including: attendance, truancy, tardiness, and behavior) may have their out-of-district status rescinded or denied according to FCPS Regulation 400-15.

If your student is going to be absent, please email both your student’s home school and ctc.attendance@fcps.org so the absence may be excused. Your student’s absence will be considered unlawful/unexcused if a note or email is not received. The One Call Now texts will now occur only once a day at 1:30 pm. If you need to pick up your student early from CTC, please email ctc.attendance@fcps.org. If you have attendance questions, please contact the Attendance Secretary, Amber Sweeney, at 227-203-6503.

E-mail absent notes to ctc.attendance@fcps.org

Ben Kimbark, a 2024 graduate from the CTC Collision Repair Program, won 1st place in collision repair at the Maryland SkillsUSA State Competition. This win gave him the opportunity to compete in the SkillsUSA National Competition where he placed 3rd. Way to go Ben! Mr. Allen and CTC are proud of you! Click HERE to read the full article about Ben in the October 2024 issue of Hammer & Dolly (p.6 & p.32).

During the 2023-2024 school year 150 students took 258 dual enrollment courses as part of their CTC programs. The first program to start offering dual enrollment courses was our CISCO Academy. During their first year in the Computer Tech Analyst courses students are able to enroll in CMIS 120, CMIS 121, and CMIS 290. In their second and/or third year in the CISCO Academy they are able to enroll in CMIS 291, CMIS 292, CMIS 281, and CMIS 111L. Students who take all of these options can leave the CTC CISCO Academy program with 21 college credits.

Our TV Multimedia program has also been a long-time dual enrollment opportunity for our students with offerings in FILM 144 and FILM 101. The Homeland Security/Criminal Justice program offers EMGT 111, CCJS 101, and CCJS 209. Our Teaching Academy of Maryland program offers dual enrollment in EDPS 210 and our Agri-Business program offers BMGT 140 and BMGT 109 for dual enrollment credits.

Our Digital Design and Printing Methods program added a new dual enrollment offering during the 2023-2024 school year with the GRPH 111 course being offered to students.

During the 2023-2024 school year, CTC started to offer a fully dual enrollment option to our AOHP Medical Assisting students. The first cohort of students began the program in January of 2024 taking MEDA 109 and MEDA 111. The students will be enrolled in MEDA 110, MEDA 112, MEDA 117, and MEDA 122 during the 2024-2025 school year.

For more information about dual enrollment, you can visit https://frederick.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment.aspx, contact your school counselor, or the CTC Dean of Students, Mr. Newkirk, at jack.newkirk@fcps.org.

The Career and Technology Center (CTC) has initiated the No Place for Hate program. The No Place for Hate program, by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), is a school-wide, student-led initiative that aims to promote inclusivity and equity in schools. This program is a holistic approach to improving school climate and promoting kindness, respect, understanding, and positive interactions. During the week of October 21st-25th the CTC No Place for Hate student committee and SkillsUSA officers partnered to coordinate Hello Week! A week full of fun activities to engage our students and show them that CTC is a place for everyone! Click on the following link for more information: No Place for Hate

Every November 13th World Kindness Day is observed, it was first introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement and has continued on since then. World Kindness Day is meant to highlight good deeds in the community, focusing on the positive power of kindness. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and location. Additionally, it benefits you to be kind; people who are constantly kind produce 23% less cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and because of the lower levels of stress, people who practice kindness age slower than the average population. This season, we hope that you can challenge yourself to be kind, even when circumstances may make it difficult.

What are some ways you can show kindness? We have suggestions:

1. Hold the door open
2. Give compliments
3. Express gratitude
4. Say thank you
5. Treat yourself with kindness
6. Volunteer
7. Help a neighbor or friend
8. Listen
9. Smile

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Greetings from the CTC Multicultural Department. Mrs. Pimentel and Ms. Desimon are here to provide support to our multicultural students and help highlight all the wonderful cultures and languages represented by our students and families.

Fun fact: Our CTC Student Ambassadors represents 13 different languages and cultures. Those languages include: Hindi/Punjabi, French, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, Burmese, Telugu, Portuguese, Russian and Yoruba.

At CTC we like to promote health and wellness for our students and staff. One way we do this is by creating a fun and informative nutrition bulletin boards in the front hallway. To the right, is our most recent bulletin board. We also incorporate activities into our programs that support physical and mental health.

The Frederick County Career and Technology Center (CTC) is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) school. Our programs and classes combine academic knowledge with technical skills to prepare students for in-demand and high-skilled jobs. CTC provides students with opportunities to earn industry-recognized certifications and licenses, acquire college credit, and gain valuable work experience. CTC is one of many treasures in Frederick County. It is not only a place of great education and opportunities but also a place of camaraderie and nostalgia.

Want to know more about CTC? Click the links below.

CTC Programs

FAQ's about CTC

What is shadowing?

How do I apply to CTC?

Dual Enrollment Information Sheet

Address: 7922 Opossumtown Pike Frederick, MD 21702

Phone: 227-203-3650

Fax: 227-203-3651

Website: http://education.fcps.org/ctc

Facebook: Frederick County Career & Tech Center

X (formerly Twitter): @FrederickCTC, @CTCPrincipal

Instagram: @fcps_ctc, @ctc_principal