Career Tech

people to be better citizens,” Benitez said. “As opposed to teaching core-subject matter, my class focuses on leadership education and provides students the opportunity to lead their peers and perform duties that influence the success of an organization (JROTC Tiger Battalion).”

Benitez explained how anyone with a desire to serve should take his course because the skills and opportunities that his class provides can be applied to servicemen and women and civilians.

“I encourage students that have a desire to serve others to take my class because we have numerous service learning projects, community service activities and co-curricular teams that develop the soft skills that employers and universities covet,” he said. “Our JROTC program has produced numerous individuals who are now serving as enlisted soldiers and those who are training to be officers in the military, including three who currently attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.”

Middleton shares a similar sentiment to Benitez and said that the diversity of the programs creates unique learning experience that provides students with leading-edge knowledge and expertise in a variety of fields, as well as transportable skills they can apply no matter how the career landscape evolves.

Fargason looks at the program from a practical perspective and said that there is one big reason every student should take at least one CTE program: money.

“Finding out you do not like something when you are taking a free class is far less expensive than being two years into a college degree and having to switch majors,” she said.

And speaking of money: not only do these programs provide immense benefit to the students, but the impact from the work-based learning program is also felt on the local economy.

Since 2016, the program has generated an economic impact of $4,128,636.21 million.

Going forward, the ACS Career Technical Education program looks to build upon those numbers and plans to continue providing specialized work-based courses, while at the same time including more resources in an attempt to open the program up to younger students.

“While we will remain enhancing our top-notch high school programs, we are investing, time, energy and resources in the upper elementary grades to offer high-stake pathways for the younger students to actively explore,” Scaife said. “Auburn City Schools Career Technical Education program prides itself with providing stellar opportunities for our students to grow and give back to such a supportive community.”

This has been a most unusual year for all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, but life goes on and we are wrapping up yet another year of school at Ballard Christian School. Our graduating class is much smaller this year than normal, but that does not make it any less special than if we had a larger class graduating.

Even though life has been hectic, demanding and stressful at many times, with God’s help, we have risen to the challenge and overcome the obstacles. Through the chaos, God is still working out His plan for all of us. Be reminded that God is not a respecter of persons and that He is with each of you through whatever life presents you with.

It is the desire and prayer from the staff at Ballard that you find God’s will for your life and follow it. It can become easy to be obsessed with preparing for and envisioning our future, but know that God may have different plans for us.

The path may often be unclear with obstacles that seem to prohibit our goal from being met. Many times these obstacles are there to mold, shape and strengthen us.

“Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take,” — Proverbs 3:6

Do not become so caught up in the world and its demands that you forget God’s will for your lives. We wish the best for you and success in all that you attempt.

God bless, Regina Christian Academic Administrator Ballard Christian School