The CTAE Connector

As we enter the final quarter of the 23-24 school year, great things are happening in CTE!

• We wrapped up CTE Month by taking our Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Kurt Browning, to congratulate Angeline Academy of Innovation Business Teacher, Chad Mallo as the district's CTE Teacher of the Year.
• This is our first year as participants in the ACE Mentor banquet that was held in Tampa on March 6th where many students within the program across the Tampa Bay area were awarded scholarships for their work within the ACE Mentor program. This program helps students interested in Architecture, Construction, and Engineering pair up with mentors in those fields to expand their knowledge and hands-on experiences while attending an after-school club. We plan to expand this program next year and get more schools and students involved in this exciting opportunity.

• Leadership Pasco-Education Day was held on Thursday, March 21st. Thirty business leaders within the Pasco County community came to the district to learn more about our educational processes and procedures and how we work with our community to make it the place people want to live, work and educate their children. They heard from many district leaders but also had the chance to visit Starkey K-8, Marchman Technical College, and Wendell Krinn Technical High School and heard students speak about what they love about their school programs and classes they take around career and technical education.

  This is a great opportunity for us to showcase to community members the wonderful things that we are doing here in Pasco County Schools and our plans for the future.

As always, we are "Preparing Today for Tomorrow's Workforce." We appreciate your support of our students and schools!

Please feel free to contact us at 813-794-2204 and follow Pasco County Schools!

Stay safe, keep it simple, and be well,

Lori Romano, Ph.D.

Director, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education

The ACE Mentor program is an outstanding opportunity for our community high school students to learn directly from industry professionals. The 6-month long program is an insightful look into the world of architecture, construction, and engineering. This program allows students to attend weekly sessions that hone in on skills such as Design Development & Plans, Civil Engineering, Cost Estimating, and many more.

These students had the opportunity to attend Trades Day on February 3rd, where they were hands-on learning from local trade professionals, such as GMF Steel, Mielke Mechanical, Gaylor Electric, Mahoney Concrete, and DPR Construction. This was an invaluable experience for high school students to explore careers in these trades.

Thirteen Pasco County students participated in this program and worked with their design team to present their design plan. The 2023-2024 ACE Mentor banquet took place on March 6th. Students, families, and industry partners were invited to celebrate these students and their hard work.

It is time for our Career Advisory Council (CAC) to come together once again for our Spring 2024 meeting. We are looking forward to gathering to see what we have been able to accomplish over the school year regarding our two focus areas, College and Career Fairs and Work Based Learning. We will highlight some wonderful work our Career Technical and Adult Education programs have accomplished this year as we have worked at building our bridge with our business and industry partners. We will also take some time to collaborate and discuss ways to continue the momentum as we work together to build our future workforce.

The Spring Career Advisory Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 23, from 8:30 am to 9:30 am at Angeline Academy of Innovation. If you are interested in becoming a member of our Career Advisory Council in the future, please contact Deedra Mitchell, Senior Supervisor of CTE at dcopelan@pasco.k12.fl.us

Our district spent much of March prepping and participating in our Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) for our Career, Technical, and Adult Education programs. As part of receiving federal Carl D. Perkins V-Secondary funding, school districts must conduct a CLNA every two years. The CLNA serves as the basis for local Perkins grant application development and future decision-making. Working with our business partners, community leaders, and district staff, we spent the week before Spring Break visiting all of our high schools and their CTE programs to discuss, observe and assess the functionality, relational labor market needs, and future possibilities of our current programs within the district. Although this process takes a lot of time, effort, organization and people, it is needed to continue to grow and build our schools and, ultimately, our community with future workforce. Thank you to everyone who participated and showed support during this important process.

Business Partners,

We cordially invite you to participate in our Beyond Career & Tech Expo! This event promises to be an enriching experience for students as they explore diverse career pathways beyond academia.

Featuring an interactive expo showcasing local businesses and organizations, students will have the chance to network with professionals and delve into various industries. Save the date: April 16, 2024, at Hudson High School, and April 23, 2024, at Zephyrhills High School.

Interested in getting involved? There are multiple opportunities such as booth participation, sponsorship, and workshop facilitation.

For more details or to register, click the flyer or scan the QR code. Alternatively, reach out to Jennifer Batchelor at jbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us.

Your participation will make a significant impact on shaping the future careers of our students. We can't wait to have you at our event!

The innovative and thoughtful minds of Mr. Marlin's construction students at Kirkland Ranch meticulously crafted a one-of-a-kind desk as a gift to the Navigator News. The members of the Navigator News were bursting with anticipation as they eagerly awaited the implementation of the new desk into their upcoming productions.

Thank you, Navigator Construction Crew!

Submitted by Stephanie Bertig

Kirkland Ranch student, Valerie Noriega, submitted her impeccable artwork to the Magnet Schools of America's Poster Contest. Her captivating piece not only showcases her outstanding artistic ability, it explicitly displays MSA's Pillars of Academic Excellence, Diversity, and Innovative Curriculum and Professional Development.

Submitted by Stephanie Bertig

Pasco County District XI Future Business Leaders of America has grown to over 500 members! This year 283 competed in the FBLA State Competition from March 15th-March 18th in Orlando.

FBLA's Mission is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences.

"As the state organization of Future Business Leaders of America, Florida FBLA is dedicated to helping high school students improve their leadership skills and achieve academic goals. Florida FBLA encourages members to partake in multiple FBLA events and conferences across the state and nationally, enabling members to enhance their individual skills and gain monetary prizes, scholarship opportunities, and university connections."

- Florida Future Business Leaders of America

Submitted by Stephanie Saraceni, FBLA District Advisor

Students enrolled in the Human Body Systems course showcased exceptional teamwork as they collaborated to reconstruct fractured femurs, employing innovative chalk modeling techniques to simulate diverse fracture patterns. Impressively, this same cohort of students excelled in the Project Lead the Way Principles of Biomedical Science exam, achieving remarkable scores in the Accomplished and Distinguished categories, reflecting their deep understanding and proficiency in the subject matter.

Submitted by Kelly Sutterlin

Fivay High School’s first-ever Mock Trial team, an outgrowth of the school’s Criminal Justice program, bested Pinellas Park High School to capture the 6th Judicial Circuit crown on February 17th. The 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida covers the counties of Pasco and Pinellas.

The competition was held at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Tampa in conjunction with that circuit’s competition for Hillsborough County teams. The Justice Teaching Center for Civic Learning at Florida Southern College in Lakeland organized and sponsored the competition.

The Fivay team registered in early October 2023 and has been strategizing and practicing for this year’s case since. This year’s trial is a fictional civil case involving the use of AI by a college student. The team’s approach and performance were barely enough to eke out their Pinellas Park opponents by the slightest of margins- 354-351.

Fivay is Pasco County’s first representative in the competition in its 25-year-plus history. We would like to recognize the following students who each played key roles in the three-day competition.

Ethan Wilkins, Jaidynn Parra, Maleea Hice, Shania Cox, Chanquel Russell, Marielis Salgado, Miley Rodrigues, Robert Marier, and Ethan Schotte.

The team advanced to the State Finals from March 7th-9th in Orlando. Go Falcons!

Submitted by Denis Riel, Fivay Criminal Justice Academy

• Please share information about your program that you would like considered for the CTAE monthly newsletter (photos, awards, events, certifications, etc).
• Please use our monthly CTAE MachForm or you can email Deedra Mitchell (dcopelan@pasco.k12.fl.us) or Taylor Constantino (taconsta@pasco.k12.fl.us) with news and photos you would like to share to celebrate, promote, and acknowledge the great accomplishments going on in and around our district's CTE programs.

Email: lmromano@pasco.k12.fl.us
Website: http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/
Location: 7227 Land O' Lakes Boulevard, Land O Lakes, FL, USA
Phone: 813-794-2204
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pascoschools/