From left, North Tama students Isa Allen, Silas Johnson, Josh Lasley, and Parker Thurston pose for a photograph after presenting as part of a CTE (Career and Technical Education) student showcase on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the high school in Traer. Not pictured, student presenter Brayton Cibula who had to depart early for another class. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER — Students from across North Tama’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs presented to local business leaders over the noon hour on Thursday, Feb. 27, as part of a student showcase.

The event brought together instructors and students from Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG), family and consumer sciences (FCS), business, agriculture, and industrial technology to highlight how classroom learning is being connected to real-world careers.

North Tama iJAG instructor Carlee Warnke opened the presentation by explaining the goal of the event.

“Today we have all of our CTE teachers … and they’re just sharing what their students are learning,” she explained. “We have students here who are going to share some projects they are working on. … Hopefully we can get some feedback from employers who work in the industry to help us know … how we can better teach our students.”

Family and consumer sciences

Silas Johnson, president of North Tama’s FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) chapter, presents on Thursday, Feb. 27, during a CTE student showcase at the high school. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

The first student presentation came from Silas Johnson, president of North Tama’s FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) chapter. After being introduced by his teacher Rachel Donaldson, Johnson displayed photos highlighting recent FCCLA activities, including a fall field trip to a local pumpkin patch where members picked pumpkins for decorating and recipe use.

Johnson and Donaldson also discussed freezer meals prepared last fall and sold to teachers. “I’m hoping we can expand and maybe even potentially get out order forms to different places (in the community). The hope is during parent-teacher conferences we’ll have samples people can try,” Donaldson said.

They also discussed plans for an upcoming cooking competition modeled after the television show “Chopped.”

“There’s like a mystery basket of ingredients, and you have to use those ingredients to make whatever dish is being made,” Donaldson explained. “We’re talking about having four teams – I’m trying to convince Silas that we should do a staff member and two students together.”

Johnson also shared a sweatshirt he created in class using reverse appliqué made from a repurposed tablecloth.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

iJAG work-based learning

During the iJAG presentation, Warnke explained how she has been working this school year to expand work-based learning opportunities for her students.

“This year we kind of had a big undertaking — we had to take on work-based learning, which is something that will help our students have actual experience to then add to their resumes,” she said before introducing two students – Josh Lasley and Isa Allen – whose experiences highlighted different approaches. As part of his experience, Lasley worked with a local business leader to create an individualized sustained project, while Allen undertook an internship.

“I want to be a mechanical engineer after high school,” Lasley said. “My idea was to make a glow disc charger (using microcontroller chips). I don’t know if you guys know about disc golf – it’s a sport that I like to play. You can play it at night with glow discs and use a UV flashlight to light it up. I wanted to make a 3D-printed box that you can put the disc in … with an ultrasonic sensor on the bottom of the box that basically senses the disc and turns on the lights and charges it.”

Lasley said the project helped him acquire new skills.

North Tama iJAG student Josh Lasley speaks on Feb. 27 about his recently-completed individualized sustained project which included working with local engineer and business owner Pete Holden. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“It was brand new to me. I was doing a lot of wiring and soldering — a lot of different things — and trying to figure out how the coding works. It was really just a great opportunity for me to see that I can have an idea and actually go and build it in real life.”

As part of the project, Lasley said he had the opportunity to work with engineer Pete Holden who owns and operates American Alternative Energy (AAE) in downtown Traer.

“Pete Holden downtown — the mayor, as most of you know him — runs a shop where he builds targets for Olympic shooting,” Lasley explained. “It’s really cool. He has like 23 printers running down there and a bunch of cool CAD software. I was able to go down there and meet with him. … That was a very cool opportunity.”

For her part, Allen pursued an internship instead of a project.

“I took a different route with this,” Allen explained. “I did an internship instead of doing a sustained project. I would like to (someday) be an English teacher or maybe a private tutor.”

North Tama iJAG student Isa Allen speaks on Feb. 27 about her internship with English teacher Emily Huston. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Allen’s internship placed her in Emily Huston’s seventh-grade English class; she visited every Thursday throughout the first semester to observe and assist students. Eventually Allen taught a lesson on citing visual sources.

“It was just an awesome experience,” Allen said. “I’ve actually continued on in my internship. I now go every single day during second hour and will eventually get to the point where I’m teaching a full week by myself.”

Warnke noted that about 65% of her iJAG students have already completed an individualized sustained project or an internship this school year.

Agriculture and FFA

North Tama’s new agriculture instructor and FFA advisor, Greg Criswell also addressed the audience, introducing junior Brayton Cibula, vice president of the North Tama FFA chapter.

North Tama ag student Brayton Cibula speaks on Feb. 27 as part of a CTE student showcase at the high school in Traer. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Being in my first year — and I mean first year ever being an FFA advisor — has been a real eye-opener for me,” Criswell said before crediting Cibula with helping him learn the ropes.

Cibula then took the floor to share highlights from the chapter’s school year thus far, including National FFA Week activities such as the annual ‘Drive Your Tractor to School Day.’

Other highlights Cibula discussed included a trip to Hawkeye Community College and attendance at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

Criswell then retook the floor to briefly mention a major upcoming project – restarting the school greenhouse, which will include participation from all of North Tama’s ag classes.

“The Ag Business class will handle all the finances and the marketing,” Criswell said. “Our Animal Science II class is actually going to be raising tilapia. We’ve already built the tank, it’s in the greenhouse. We’ll be purchasing the tilapia here within another week. We haven’t quite figured out all the details of how we’re going to sell them yet, but we’ve got some ideas. In our Horticulture class, we’ll be working with South Tama Community School District’s FFA advisor on getting our greenhouse up and running and … selling geraniums in May.”

Business

Following Criswell, North Tama business instructor Angie Hallett introduced student Parker Thurston who is currently president of the school’s Business Professionals of America (BPA) chapter. Thurston shared how he attended in December a regional BPA competition at Hawkeye Community College where he placed third in graphic design promotion with his “Amplify your Impact” logo.

“It gave me a lot of experience in graphic design,” Thurston said. “As president, I’ve been trying to run and get the club started (this) first year. It’s given me a lot of experience in figuring out how to run a business. We are trying to expand the club right now.”

Industrial tech

Industrial technology instructor Matt Boerm, also new to the district this year after previously teaching at GMG, concluded the showcase with an update from his classes.

“All the CTE (programs) have clubs now,” Boerm said. “Industrial arts is one of the last groups to actually get a club – SkillsUSA – so it’s still a little bit green.”

Boerm said industrial tech students crafted and sold wooden snowflakes and stars during the Christmas season to help cover membership dues.

He also shared about an upcoming project that will see students build a storage shed for Traer’s Pied Piper Preschool and Child Care.

North Tama business student and BPA (Business Professionals of America) chapter president Parker Thurston speaks on Feb. 27 as part of a CTE student showcase at the high school in Traer. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER