CTE student organizations provide growth outside of the classroom
Published 8:36 am Thursday, February 18, 2016
- Randolph-Henry High School FFA officers pictured are, from left, Vice President Hannah Adams, Junior Sentinel Alivia McComb (standing in for Greyson Pettus, sentinel), President Cassie Long, Secretary Scott Pugh, Treasurer Michael Brown and Reporter Conner White.
As the nation celebrates National Career and Technical Education Month in February, the division spotlighting the outstanding opportunities that the Charlotte County Public Schools Career and Technical Education department provides students.
“In addition to providing students opportunities for success in the classroom, the program also provides opportunities for students to succeed through participation in four different Career and Technical Education Student Organizations (CTESOs),” according to Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS).
While the curriculum provided through the Career and Technical Education program is important, CTESOs give students opportunities to apply and expand their base knowledge through experiences outside of the classroom.
“Without the many opportunities that CTESOs and their respective sponsors provide for student growth, the students’ preparation would be only partially complete,” according to CCPS.
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), led by Karen Osborne, Sheena Allen and Sherri Pillow, gives students with an interest in business-related fields opportunities to grow in those areas as well as improve their leadership skills.
R-H FBLA officers pictured are, from left, Vice President Tyra Randolph, President Dominique Dews, Reporter Cymira Shuford and Secretary JaKya Pettus.
“The group participates in leadership conferences, such as those held at Longwood University and will have more than 25 students competing in various business-related competitions at Longwood in March.”
Additionally, the group is active in community efforts, such as sponsoring children through Social Services at Christmas, working at Gleaning for the World and volunteering at local nursing homes,” according to CCPS.
“The largest CTESO in Charlotte County is the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Charlotte County has had a chapter since 1926, dating back to the days when it was known as Future Farmers of Virginia (FFV), and it remains as active today as it has ever been.”
The Randolph-Henry High School group has remained extremely active.
“During the 2014-2015 year, alone, the Randolph-Henry High School FFA chapter competed in 33 competitions at the federation, area, state and national levels, including the Virginia FFA State Convention at Virginia Tech and the National FFA Convention in Louisville, KY,” CCPS says.
“In addition to competitions, the chapter also participated in such leadership enhancement opportunities as the Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) Conference, Southside Area GPS Leadership Conference, VA/National Institute on Cooperative Education Conference, Washington National Leadership Conference, and the FFA Leadership Camp at Graves Mountain Lodge.
The chapter is also extremely active locally, holding various social and fellowship events such as the FFA Fright Farm, the National FFA Week Funquest Field Trip, the FFA Alumni Fishing Tournament at the Randolph-Henry Land Lab, and the Annual FFA Awards Banquet where members are recognized for their achievements.”
The Randolph-Henry FFA chapter has produced many Virginia FFA state officers, including three Virginia FFA state presidents.
Handler Vaughan, former R-HHS FFA Chapter President, currently serves the state in that capacity.
