Students from all three Benton County high schools traveled to Sedalia this past week to visit State Fair Community College Career Technical Center.
Juniors and seniors from all three high schools are able to apply for a class at the CTC to earn dual credit for high school and college.
According to Warsaw High School counselor Tyler Richardson, the sophomores visit in order to see what the CTC has to offer.
“Students were able to select two different programs and then attend a 45-minute session with each program,” said Richardson.
Presently WHS sends 34 juniors and seniors to class at CTC each afternoon.
“The CTC students take three classes at WHS then they board a bus to travel to Sedalia for CTC classes,” said Richardson. “They arrive back at WHS at about 3:05 PM.”
WHS students are able to obtain dual credit for CTC classes so they can graduate with hours toward a college degree.
“Welding and early childhood development are two of the most popular classes,” said Richardson.
Lincoln High School sophomores attended the CTC workshop on January 30.
Counselor Jenny Greene said that LHS sends 17 students to CTC every day.
“We take the sophomores up to check out the different programs so they can have the opportunity to apply for a spot in the program of their choice,” said Greene.
Greene reported that State Fair Community College is the most popular place to continue their education for the majority of LHS graduates.
CTC prospective students must pass a reading and writing test as well as being in good standing at their high school and having a good attendance record.
“On March 27 we will meet to place students in the programs they want,” said Greene. “It is a matter of how many openings there are in various classes. Welding is the most popular but we usually have students interested in criminal justice, automotive mechanics and health occupations as well. If I have two students interested in welding, I might trade another high school a position in a class which I didn’t have a student interested in order to get more than one student in a class.”
Cole Camp High School sophomores traveled to CTC on January 29. CCHS currently sends 13 students to CTC every day.
“Our CTC students take classes at CCHS then travel to Sedalia,” said Counselor Kayce Kern. “When they return in the afternoon the CTC students have a seminar hour at CCHS so that they will meet all requirements for graduation.”
Kern explained that CTC students spend part of their day in the classroom in order to fulfill all requirements in English and math.
“I wanted to go there and further my education in graphic design,” said CCHS senior Leigha Harrison, graphic design student. “I’m definitely getting a lot of experience with using professional software. I even have one of my vinyl wraps on a window at SFCC.”
CCHS senior Carson Hoke, precision machining student said, “I thought it was a good opportunity to go into something interesting and it’s basically two years of free college education to see if I want to pursue a trade.”
CCHS junior Clayton (Ziggy) Archambault, criminal justice student said that he wanted to learn more about law.
“I would say advanced knowledge of what I am trying to get myself into after high school is the reason I decided to go to CTC,” said Archambault.
The State Fair Career and Technology Center (CTC) offers free technical training to juniors and seniors from 12 high schools in 10 school districts. Located on the Sedalia campus, it is one of four technical schools in Missouri affiliated with a community college.
The CTC offers programs in all career paths, providing classroom instruction and hands-on training in some of the fastest growing occupations in Missouri. It prepares all students who graduate for entry-level employment, advanced job training, entry into two- or four-year college programs, entry into apprenticeship programs, or entry into military training.
Students enrolled in CTC programs get to explore a field that interests them, learn skills that can help pay for college and even earn advanced college credits.
The CTC offers training in nine technical programs:
-Automotive Service Technology
-Building Trades
-Criminal Justice
-Early Childhood Careers
-Graphic Design
-Health Occupations
-Industrial Equipment Maintenance
-Precision Machining Technology
-Welding Technology
A MO Options Program exists to help students pass the High School Equivalency Test.
Any student who has a cumulative high school GPA of 2.5 or higher may apply to receive dual enrollment college credit in the first semester. Students must maintain competencies and meet attendance requirements in order to receive credit at the end of second semester.
The learning experiences a student has at the CTC are most likely different from any they’ve had before. We believe all students should have the chance to attain their full potential no matter what their interests, needs and abilities. To start the application process, students should contact their high school counselors for application forms and to arrange placement exams.
