SHERIDAN — Sheridan County School District 2 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Mitch Craft wants to bust a myth in the Sheridan community: home economics classes still exist, they just have a new name.
Career technical education, or CTE.
While disguised under an updated title, Craft said the courses provided under this umbrella translate to real-world preparedness for students at Sheridan High School. Through the 12 CTE tracks offered at SHS, students who complete an entire track will receive a certification in that particular field. For example, students participating in the business accounting CTE track receive a certification in QuickBooks, a training Craft said applies to most office jobs.
“The nomenclature has changed, but the essence of the programs really has not,” Craft said. “These are designed to give our students a foothold in the workplace and/or college or some higher education after high school that’s specifically focused on preparing them for a career.
“Vocational education is very much alive at Sheridan High School and across the country, just under a different name: career and technical education,” he added.
CTE Department Chair Heidi Richins coordinates faculty and students in numerous ways, one of which guides them through practical application of their CTE courses through internships in the community. Students receive credit counting toward graduation while also obtaining real-world experience in a job of particular interest. Sometimes, Richins said, students realize they are on the right path toward a career, while others realize through the internship they should look toward a different path. Either way, students and businesses benefit from the relationship.
That relationship folds into the CTE program, too. As a requirement through Perkins V, school administrators must consult with local businesses to ensure available elective courses through the CTE tracks directly benefit the community and students in pursuing careers in those particular fields. Feedback can be obtained in many different ways, Craft said, with some of them including formal feedback through surveys or others through feedback from businesses hosting interns from SHS.
“We have great community collaboration on (CTE programs) as well,” Craft said. “For every one of these pathways, we can also name individuals and businesses that we get feedback from and that support our programs. Many of them flow into Sheridan College programs.”
The 12 tracks include support services, agribusiness systems, animal systems, teaching/training, programming and software development, network systems, accounting, restaurant and food beverage management, design/pre-construction, construction, manufacturing production process DEV and production.
While other schools may provide more or fewer options for CTE tracks, Craft said after some tweaking over the years, the number of tracks available to SHS students seems to fit the district appropriately. Each track closely ties with fully established industries in Sheridan County.
In addition to business partners in the community, Craft and Richins mentioned Sheridan College as a large contributor to many of the options available for students. Each student wishing to fully invest in a certain CTE pathway may need to take courses at Sheridan College or may earn credit through concurrent enrollment through classes taught by SHS faculty certified to teach collegiate-level courses.
“Our faculty and Sheridan College faculty communicate,” Craft said. “They communicate about our programs and how our students can prepare for theirs.”
For students not wishing to fully invest in one set subject, the elective opportunities allow for hands-on learning opportunities that benefit their graduation requirements while also allowing them to gauge their interest in a particular career.
“They’re going to finish with a certification that’s recognized in the workplace,” Craft said. “That said, many of them go on to add certifications.”
Throughout the next several months, The Sheridan Press will explore each track, describing how it fits into student life at SHS as well as the greater Sheridan community.
Mythbusters: Yes, home economics classes still exist | Local News | thesheridanpress.com - The Sheridan Press
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