CTE Connection November 2024

This newsletter's primary purpose is to communicate happenings within Johnson City School's middle school CTE programs and to inform of programs, activities, and other opportunities available to our students.

In October, ITMS Digital Media students welcomed Zachary Collie from Northeast State Community College as a guest speaker. He shared with the 6th-8th grade classes on all that the college has to offer in the area of Digital Media and Communications. The students were able to ask questions and gain from Collie's expertise in this classroom setting. #CareerDevelopmentMonth and #AcceleratingTN!

Sixth and seventh grade students in Careers have been delving into social emotional learning topics while also exploring the Human Services Career Cluster. Sixth graders took on the role of School Guidance Counselor and created informational posters on a selected social emotional topic, such as coping with stress and developing confidence. Then, they created a video for a middle school audience in which they explained tips and strategies for overcoming middle school challenges. Similarly, seventh graders acted as Career Recruiters, helping a candidate find a job. Part of their project included creating a recruiting video about a soft skill needed to be successful.

Seventh grade Digital Media students have been perfecting their skills in planning, recording, and editing podcasts, using the school's state of the art equipment. It is inspiring to witness how far they have come in such a short time!

8th grade Careers students had the opportunity to develop a resume and participate in Mock Interviews with representatives from Washington County EMTs, Johnson City Police Department, Rise Up, Johnson City Schools counseling, and others. It was a wonderful hands-on experience in seeking employment and is an opportunity we hope to offer every 9 weeks. #CareerDevelopmentMonth and #AcceleratingTN

In the current 9 weeks, Careers students have begun project-based career modules covering the 16 career clusters, with one of the explorations being that of Culinary Arts. At the close of the first 9 weeks, students created a variety of culinary masterpieces and enjoyed eating the fruit of their labors. The students LOVED it!

Brandie Sanchez (pictured in center), ITMS Careers teacher, is one of three teachers selected as the school's teachers of the year. We congratulate her on this honor and are proud to have her in middle school CTE instruction!

Major Clarity is a career exploration platform provided for our students that offers highly-personalized, student-driven academic and career planning tools. After students complete the Personality Assessment, a 48-question inventory that takes about 5 minutes to complete, they can go to the Career Exploration tab on the side-bar menu to find their top-ranked careers to explore further.

Students can also begin to "plan" the courses they would like to take while in high school. If they select the Academic Planning option on the side-bar menu, they can then select their pathway of focus and various courses for each grade level. This is not an actual registration but is a planning tool that can be revisited, updated, and even printed out to aid in 4-year plan meetings at the end of their 8th grade year.

The program has been placed in our SSO Portal, and all teachers and students are automatically rostered, meaning no usernames or passwords are required. Take the time to explore this tool today!

How To Log In To Major Clarity:

1. Go to the SSO Portal

2. Click on the MajorClarity Icon

3. Navigate through the sidebar menu. Feel free to explore...you can't mess up!

To view Tutorial Videos on all the menu options in Major Clarity, go to https://sciencehill.jcschools.org/counselors/major-clarity

Look in this section of the newsletter each month for more info on Major Clarity in the future.

Major Clarity provides this list to help our students become more aware of the various career paths they can explore and "test drive" through the platform.

Email: winigerj@jcschools.org
Location: 718 Morningside Drive
Phone: 423-232-2192
Twitter: @winigerjill