As we finish up National CTE Month, I wanted to share a small example of what has gone on in February of this year. The list below is in no way everything that was done, and is not anything out of the ordinary for any month here in CTE, but rather just a partial snapshot of this past month’s activities.
One of my favorite events on the list was the OCPS College Expo that was held at the Amway Center for close to 2,000 high school juniors-the top 20% academically in their respective high schools. What made it so special this year was the large number of students who visited the table and knew all about Orange Technical College, either through classes they are already taking at one of our OTC campuses, or the connection they have to OTC and CTE at their home high school. When this event started just a few short years ago, I can promise you, very few in the top 20% of students knew much about the CTE options out there, even less knew about OTC and certainly there weren’t too many having “lobster” with their “steak,” the way they are today!
This huge shift is due to so many of you, who work tirelessly every day to share the great news that is CTE, and who provide quality education in your classrooms. Thank you for all you do in Changing Lives Through Education!
CTE Month 2019-or as I refer to it, “Just another normal month in the world of OCPS CTE“:
Community Events
On-campus (Orange Technical College)
- OTC Senior Program Fair: introducing graduating seniors to OTC programs
- OTC ZORA/STEM Expo: introducing middle and high school students to modeling, simulation and training careers at OTC Launch Site
- SkillsUSA: hosting regional student competitions at our Mid Florida, Westside and Orlando campuses
- Day of Beauty: fundraising cosmetology-focused event at Westside
- Valentines Luncheon: fundraising culinary-focused event at Winter Park
- Valentines Dinner: fundraising culinary-focused event at Orlando
- Leadership Orange: hosting district leadership program at Mid Florida
- Construction Career Days: introducing high school students to construction career opportunities, in partnership with the DOT, iBuild Central FL, ACT and the Central Florida Fair
- Orange FFA Federation Conference: hosting leadership conference at Mid Florida
- Engineering Week: nationwide observance week of engineering careers, high school project-lead-the-way school tours, Valencia College visits, etc.
- OCPS College Expo: introducing juniors to CTE/OTC educational options at Amway Center
Off-campus
- FCAN (Florida College Access Network): Tech Express Webinar
- Team Orlando M&S Day: full day student experience in modeling and simulation, hosted by the National Center for Simulation
Advertising
Celebrating 85th Anniversary
- Online: social media posts, blog articles, timeline graphics, videos, CTE -newsletter, cool stuff happening every day, programmatic mobile advertising
- Outdoor: bus shelters, billboards, bus wraps, posters
- Print: magazine editorials, education guides, local newspapers
- TV: Jones HS Engineering and Nursing story on Channel 9
OTC Alumni
- Celebrating OTC alumni with featured videos, articles
- Blog posts featuring OTC alumni sharing stories in own words
- Radio spots and on-air interviews on Haitian/Creole station Tele-Anacaona
Public Relations
ACTE (Association of Career and Technical Education)
- Online submissions for excellence in career and technical promotion/programs
- Sharing of content related to National CTE Month
Program Specific
- Toyota T-Ten: produced video content to share with national program advisors
- Jones HS LPN Program: CTE Department mentoring high school students weekly
In many parts of the country, special CTE events are only held this month every year; here in OCPS, it’s just another month of doing what we do every day!