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About The Redmond spokesman. (Redmond, Crook County, Or.) 1910-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2021)
P4 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, december 1, 2021 CTE programs grow, offer student opportunities BY SHEILA MILLER public Information officer for the redmond School district W hen you walk into Dan Kernion’s class- room at Redmond High School, it’s clear some- thing interesting is happening on this side of the school. Kernion, who teaches com- puter-aided drafting, manufac- turing and welding, has desks built by his welding students. Walls are lined with signs, metal and wooden, as well as shelves with dominoes, crib- bage boards and other cre- ations students made in class. And yes, there’s a full-suspen- sion go-kart back in the shop — a student built that, too. Welcome to career techni- cal education in the Redmond School District. The district offers a robust set of CTE classes at both Redmond and Ridgeview high schools, and that programming continues to develop. The goal is to pro- vide students with real-world, relevant experience that will prepare them for the work- force, while still engaging in a full academic courseload. It’s working, as our students are being hired straight out of high school into lucrative careers and heading into college pro- grams ahead of other students. Hands-on training At Ridgeview High, CTE classes include business, com- puter science and engineer- ing, as well as a culinary pro- gram, video production and health sciences. Students can leave Ridgeview with a certi- fied nursing assistant license, among other benefits. At Redmond High, CTE classes include business and computer science, as well as an automotive program, construc- tion and manufacturing classes and robust agriculture and flo- ral coursework. Students in the Redmond School District also partici- pate in SkillsUSA, which is a CTE competition for high school students in more than 130 disciplines, from welding to culinary and everything in between. “These industries need skilled workers,” Kernion said. “We’re teaching these kids work ethic, the importance of attitude. Skills can be learned on the job — and we’re teach- ing those here, too — but those soft skills are what we really try to hammer home.” The programs also teach much more — bravery, for a start. Some kids enter the pro- grams nervous to try their hand in the automotive shop or taking apart a computer, then discover that’s where they feel most at home. And even if the students don’t end up go- ing into a career based on their experiences in CTE classes, they’re still learning a lot. For example, Kernion men- tioned his students are often do- ing very high-level math in his classes, and that can translate to their performance in more tra- ditional academic classes. Good business sense Hannah Osborn, who teaches business classes like graphic design, marketing, en- trepreneurship and business communications to about 200 students at Redmond High, agreed. “Even if they’re not going to go into business, it’s helpful to see how it all works,” she said. “Seeing how the sausage is made can be really helpful. And having business skills is so import- ant — no matter what nameline you do with your life, ev- erything is a business.” Projects in her classes in- clude designing the school’s spirit T-shirts, building web- sites and social media cam- paigns, and creating and run- ning their own businesses. At one point, the entrepreneur- ship class worked with the welding class to develop and implement businesses together. Osborn sees opportunity to teach business skills in unlikely places — especially yearbook class. “This is a $30,000 busi- ness entrusted entirely to stu- dents,” she said. “I think people forget that.” The skills learned in these CTE classrooms can lead to high-paying skill jobs — like engineering and manufactur- ing gigs. And the district ben- efits from industry partners, some of whom hire students during the summer, others im- Free vaccination clinic to be held at expo center Clinic begins Tuesday for everyone 5 years old and up bulletin staff report A free drive-thru for COVID-19 vaccines will be available for anyone 5 or older starting Tuesday at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond. The vaccine clinic, which is hosted by Deschutes County Health Services and the Ore- gon Health Authority, will be open Monday through Sun- day from noon to 7 p.m., ac- cording to an announcement from Deschutes County. Pfizer, Moderna and John- son & Johnson vaccines will be available, including booster doses for those who qualify. Booster doses are avail- able for anyone 18 or older who received Pfizer or Mod- erna shots at least six months ago or a Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago, according to Deschutes County. No appointment or insur- ance is needed. Residents should bring vac- cination records to the fair- grounds if they have already received a COVID-19 vacci- nation. For more information about vaccination clinics in Deschutes County, visit www. deschutes.org/covid19vaccine or call 541-699-5109 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We’re teaching these kids work ethic, the importance of attitude. Skills can be learned on the job — and we’re teaching those here, too — but those soft skills are what we really try to hammer home.” — Dan Kernion, CTE teacher mediately after graduation or for internships. Rob Spear, who teaches computer science and weld- ing, said companies have ap- proached him with promises of jobs for students who succeed in his courses. “There are just so many jobs,” he said. “Busi- nesses need and want these skills, and we can provide a pathway for that. We are trying to listen to what those busi- nesses say and give it to our kids before they’re even out of high school.” The RHS computer science program continues to develop, with classes on both hardware and software and plans to add high-level coding and net- working courses. The ultimate goal, Spear said, is to imple- ment a tiered program that be- gins in kindergarten. Kernion hopes to get a me- trology program — the sci- entific study of measurement — off the ground at Redmond High in the coming years. What he’s sure of is that these programs are going to continue to expand and be important to our students. “These students definitely learn valuable skills,” he said. “These industries are expand- ing massively, and that’s why our programs are growing again.” Worship Directory Baptist Non-Denominational Highland Baptist Church Seventh Day Adventist 3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond 541-548-4161 Barry Campbell, Lead Pastor 945 W. Glacier Ave., Redmond, OR 541-923-0301 Sunday Worship Services: Blended - 8 & 9 am Contemporary - 10:30 am (Worship Center) Sabbath School 9:30 am Worship 10:45 am Roman Catholic hbc Español - 10:30 am Acoustic - 6 pm (Youth Room) St Thomas Roman Catholic Church Living Nativity Experience the first Christmas Dec. 10 & 11 5-7 pm (recurring outdoors every 20 minutes) Father Todd Unger, Pastor How can hbc pray for you? prayer@hbcredmond.org For more information and online services visit us at www.hbcredmond.org 1720 NW 19th Street Redmond, Oregon 97756 541-923-3390 Mass Schedule: Weekdays 8:00 am (Except Wednesdays) Wednesday 6:00 pm Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm First Saturday 8:00 am (English) Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am (English) 12:00 noon (Spanish) CHECK YOUR AD On the first day it runs to make sure it is correct. Call 541-617-7823 for corrections. Confessions on Wednesdays From 5:00 to 5:45 pm and on Saturdays From 3:00 to 4:30 pm