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)
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Call 541-617-7823 for corrections.
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