U.S. Representative Glenn Thompson (D-PA) and U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), among many Congressional staff members, showed their support for Career Technical Education (CTE) this week at an event on Capitol Hill.
The event, Beyond the Farm: Integrating Agriculture, STEM, and CTE in the 21st Century, was hosted by NASDCTEc and ACTE with the CTE Congressional Caucus as an honorary host.
CTE students from across the nation proudly represented their Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) by presenting projects that show how they are learning relevant, high-demand skills through CTE and CTSOs. The event featured projects from students affiliated with:
U.S. Representative Glenn Thompson with a HOSA student at "Beyond the Farm: Integrating Agriculture, STEM, and CTE in the 21st Century"
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA): Business
A business student from New Prairie High School in New Carlisle, Indiana discussed how CTE and FBLA have influenced her decision to study agriculture and to improve her family business. She shared how she uses technology, such as a Facebook page and record digitization, as business and marketing tools to promote and organize her family’s sheep farm.
Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA): Health Science
A student from Charlotte, North Carolina shared her project on the “Zombie Apocalypse,†including a game created on her laptop for a Public Health Emergency Preparedness competition. The booth also featured information on connecting health science and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
National FFA: Agricultural Science
This display gave information the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE), used to teach high school agricultural science courses. Students from Biotechnology High School in Freehold, New Jersey demonstrated materials and labs used in CASE.
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA): Family and Consumer Sciences
This project showcased the work of Family and Consumer Science teachers from Ennis, Montana who teach students about the food and textile products they use every day. Teachers combine course content with STEM concepts while educating students about the journey of a product through agriculture, production, and consumption.
SkillsUSA: Landscaping
A student from Fredrick Career and Technology Center in Fredrick, Maryland discussed soil testing and its potential to help improve the environment. She explained methods of testing soils and provided a demonstration.
Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst