FROM M-T-N NEWS, THIS IS
"COMMUNITY CONNECTION"
KEELEY: THANKS FOR JOINING US
FOR THIS SPOTLIGHT OF "COMMUNITY
CONNECTION."I'M JOINED BY
ASSISTANT
SUPERINTENDENT OF GREAT FALLS
PUBLIC SCHOOLS TOM MOORE AND
STUDENT MACK FANGMEIER.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE
MOORE: THANK YOU FOR HAVING US
KEELEY: SO WE'RE HERE TO TALK
ABOUT NATIONAL CAREER AND
TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH WHICH
IS FEBRUARY,
STARTING THIS WEEK.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT GREAT FALLS
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS DOING FOR THE
MONTH?
MOORE: YOU BET.WELL, WE OFFER
A NUMBER OF CAREER AND
TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
CLASSES IN INDUSTRIAL
TECHNOLOGY, FAMILY CONSUMER
SCIENCE, THE HEALTH SCIENCES,
BUSINESS, AND AGRICULTURE.
AND STUDENTS WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THOSE COURSES CAN GO ANYWHERE
AND DO ANYTHING.
IF THEY CONCENTRATE IN ONE OR
MORE OF THOSE CLASSES IN
HIGH SCHOOL THEY HAVE A HIGHER
GRADUATION RATE, A HIGHER
COLLEGE
GOING RATE, AND SO WE'RE GOING
TO CELEBRATE THAT DURING THE
MONTH OF FEBRUARY.
WE'LL KICK IT OFF FEBRUARY FIRST
AND THEN EACH WEEK
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH WE'LL BE
HIGHLIGHTING ONE OF THOSE CAREER
AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FIELDS.
KEELEY: OKAY, AND ONE OF THOSE
HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS IS GOING TO
BE A PRESS CONFERENCE, IS
THAT RIGHT? FEBRUARY FIRST?
MOORE: YES.
WITH OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS IN
THE COMMUNITY, THE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE AND OTHERS SPEAKING AT
THAT. KEELEY: OKAY, GREAT.
NOW, ONE THING THAT YOU GUYS
MENTIONED ABOUT CTE CLASSES IS
THAT IT CAN LEAD TO INTERNSHIPS;
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOUR INTERNSHIP?
FANGMEIER: YEAH, SO I HAD THE
PRIVILEGE TO INTERNSHIP UP AT
THE GREAT FALLS INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT THIS SUMMER.
AND OUR TASK WAS BASICALLY TO
INITIATE AND CREATE A SURVEY
ON THE PASSENGERS DURING THE
CHICAGO AND SEATTLE FLIGHT TIMES
IN ORDER TO GAIN A SCOPE THE
DIFFERENT
MARKETING THINGS AND THE
DIFFERENT INTERESTS OF
HERE IN MONTANA AND GREAT FALLS.
KEELEY: VERY NEAT.
AND DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING NEW
THROUGH THAT INTERNSHIP OR ARE
YOU GLAD YOU TOOK IT?
FANGMEIER: I LEARNED A TON.
AND I'M VERY I HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY
KEELEY: VERY COOL.
SO, BESIDES THE INTERNSHIP, THIS
WAS, WAS THIS YOUR FIRST
INTERNSHIP?
FANGMEIER: THIS WAS MY FIRST CTE
INTERNSHIP, YES.
KEELEY: OKAY.
WHAT OTHER CLASSES HAVE YOU
TAKEN?
FANGMEIER: WELL, STARTING OFF
FOR SOPHOMORE YEAR, I WAS
ENLISTED IN
A CLASS CALLED "MULTIMEDIA," AND
THAT IS BASICALLY A CLASS WHERE
YOU GET TO EXPERIMENT WITH
PHOTOSHOP, AND POWERPOINT AND
VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LIKE
THAT AND THEN
FINANCIAL TECH, ACCOUNTING, AND
THEN CURRENTLY I'M ENROLLED IN
THE PROGRAM CALLED "BUSINESS
INDEPENDENT STUDY," AND THAT
IS WHERE A STUDENT GETS TO
COMPLETE PROJECTS FOR THE
COMMUNITY, LIKE I DID A COUPLE
OF BROCHURES SO FAR AND A COUPLE
WEBSITES AND IT'S OVERALL A
REALLY COOL PROGRAM.
KEELEY: DEFINITELY.
WHAT SKILLS HAVE YOU LEARNED
THROUGH THESE CLASSES? YOU
KNOW, I FEEL LIKE IT TAKES
PEOPLE SKILLS, PEOPLE
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS, TO MAYBE CONDUCT A
SURVEY
FANGMEIER: OH YES.
AND STARTING OFF, YOU'D GET TOLD
"NO" QUITE A FEW TIMES, BUT AS
YOU
GAIN PRACTICE IN THE FIELD YOU
WOULD DEVELOP THOSE SKILLS AND
EVENTUALLY REACH ED AN APPROVAL
RATING OF 95%
ACCEPTANCE ON OUR SURVEYS.
KEELEY: WOW, VERY NEAT, GOOD
JOB.
FANGMEIER: THANK YOU.
KEELEY: ALRIGHT, SO, JUST
TALKING ABOUT MORE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PARENTS TO LEARN ABOUT CTE
MOORE: PARENTS CAN GO TO OUR
WEBSITE-PARENTS AND AND
STUDENTS CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE,
GREAT FALLS PUBLICSCHOOLS
SECONDARY PROGRAMS AND CLICK ON
OUR CAREER AND
TECHNICAL EDUCATION PAGE AND
FIND OUT ALL ABOUT OUR
PROGRAMS.
AND JUST TALKING WITH TEACHERS
AND COUNSELORS, STUDENTS ARE
MAKING A PLAN AS MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS GOING INTO HIGH SCHOOL,
AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE
PICKING THEIR CLASSES FOR THIS
NEXT YEAR, DEVELOPING THAT
PLANAND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
THESE COURSES WILL BENEFIT ANY
STUDENT, WHETHER THEY'RE
GOING TO WORK, OR GOING TO
COLLEGE OR INTO THE MILITARY, SO
JUST HAVE PARENTS ENCOURAGE
THEIR STUDENTS TO ASK
GOOD QUESTIONS AND THEN PURSUE
WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN OR
WHAT THEY THINK THEY'RE
INTERESTED IN, LIKE MACK HAS
DONE HE'S TAKEN FULL ADVANTAGE
OF THESE CLASSES AND IS SETTING
A
COURSE FOR HIS FUTURE.
