Career and Technical Education

Department Accomplishments

Schools around the world revamped curriculum to better prepare students for future careers. This has translated into school’s teaching more than just the basics of math, science, language arts, and social studies. Buford High School, like many other high schools across the country, has invested in creating a Career and Technical Education Department.

Buford’s CTE Department has nine career pathways students can select. Those pathways include Audio, Video, Technology and Film; Business Accounting/Finance; Carpentry; Computer Science; Nutrition and Food Science; Sports and Entertainment Marketing; Teaching as a Profession; Healthcare Science: Sports Medicine and Patient

Care; and Work-Based Learning.

Students at Buford can participate in five clubs associated with the CTE Department, including DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), and Skills USA.

The CTE Department had a monumental year, which is proof of the ongoing investment in the school’s commitment to growing this department. Notable highlights from the 2021-2022 school year include: Buford’s marketing program, taught by Mrs. Jordan Simmons, earned industry certification.

Forty-seven students from the Healthcare Science Pathway earned their first and second Certified Patient Care Technicians cohorts. CPCT is a national certification for entry-level patient care positions at the bedside in all health care facilities. Six students became Certified Pharmacy Technicians during the school year.

Three seniors from the Teaching as a Profession Pathway were recognized at the BHS Future Educators Signing Ceremony for committing to become future teachers.

Those seniors are John Oakes, Natalie Pope, and Summer Olsen.

More than 60 community business and industry partners interviewed over 250 11th and 12th graders at the BHS CTE Mock Interviews.

Buford’s Work-Based Learning Pathway consisted of 116 participating students who worked a combined total of 39,400 hours and earned a total of $363,000 in wages.

Buford’s Career and Technology Student Organizations (CTSO) held the third annual Cookies and Cocoa 5K, which raised more than $11,000. This money benefits children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and BHS CTSO students, and the funds helped seven students travel to CTSO National Conferences for competitions.

If not for my internship with the “North Gwinnett Voice,” I would have never cemented my passion for journalism. I felt honored to wear my press badge around the city of Buford, and I treasure the connections that I made with people and businesses through interviews. To this day, I still get a rush when assigned a new story.

Working with the “North Gwinnett Voice” has placed me far ahead of my peers; while others struggle in our upper-level courses, having trouble with AP style and story structure, I excel.

Thanks to my position at the “North Gwinnett Voice,” I was able to continue my journalism education at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). I was a straight-A student and I graduated in May 2022 with a B.A. in political journalism with minors in English, history and theatre arts. I was the award-winning news director at Rebel Radio 92.1 FM, a staff writer with “The Ole Miss” Yearbook and I worked as a freelance reporter for Oxford Newsmedia LLC and Batesville Newsmedia LLC. I have had work published with “The Daily Mississippian,” “The Oxford Eagle,” “Oxford Magazine,” “The Panolian” and “Oxford Stories.”

— Hayden Wiggs, BHS Class of 2018

Class of 2022 senior wins first national award for CTE pathway

Class of 2022 Bu- ford senior earned a first for the school by capturing first place at the 2021 Student Television Network Fall Nationals — Mason Fuller brought home Buford’s first award for the school’s Audio Video Technology and Film program after receiving top honors in the Mobile Journalist category.

When asked what his reaction was to winning this award, Fuller said, “Best feeling ever! Video-making is something I’ve always been passionate about and to finally gain recognition for my love of film/media was a really satisfying way to close out my senior year.”

Fuller starred in a one-minute video originally shot for Buford’s daily student news called “Triple A Today.” The segment, called “Chicken It Out: Short Eatz,” was part of a challenge from Nicholas Beshiri, head of the Audio Video Technology and Film program.

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The segment was part of a series called, “Chicken It Out,” which featured different episodes in which Fuller visited a new restaurant each week to try chicken sandwiches. Fuller’s quest for the best chicken sandwich had him visiting Bojangles, which was shown in the award-winning video. His quest also took him to fast food restaurants Chick-fil-A, Dairy Queen, Huey Magoo’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Popeyes, Wendy’s and Zaxby’s. Fuller also tried popular local restaurants like the Dawghouse, Pig Tales and Rico’s World Kitchen.

For anyone curious about the winning chicken sandwich, Fuller confessed, “Huey Magoo’s and Rico’s is a tough tie for me! I think it depends on what I’m crav- ing, honestly, both sandwiches bring the flavor factor big time.”

The Student Television Network is an international educational association for middle school and high school that is focused on broadcast journalism, film and media programs. It was started in 1999 by a group of teachers who wanted to give educators a place to share ideas and learn from others in similar programs.

STN provides curriculum, communications and competitions for teachers and students throughout the year. As part of the competitions aspect of its mission, the network holds challenges over the course of the school year, as well as presents major awards for Fall Nationals and Spring Nationals.

View Fuller’s video online at studenttelevision. com/2021-fall-nationals-winners.