CTE Students Service Communities

CTE students serve their community

By: The Clarke, Frederick, and Winchester Career and Technical Education Departments

When Covid 19 hit, schools closed, but students in the midst of their cooperative education experience got a firsthand look at what it meant to be working in the healthcare profession during a crisis. Clarke, Frederick, and Winchester schools had 14 students who completed the nurse aide program and their Certified Nurse Aide credential as juniors in high school and were working at Winchester Medical Center as CNAs during their senior year in the spring of 2020. As divisions sought to provide guidance through unprecedented times, students were offered the option to stop the experience with no academic penalty. All were placed in what was deemed low risk units and had extensive training in personal protective equipment and procedures. The majority of the students along with their parents elected to continue the experience during the shutdown providing necessary care to hospitalized patients. Winchester Public Schools and John Handley High School were proud to learn that Bich Ngoe Vo was awarded the Carnation Care Award for Extraordinary Nursing Assistants from Valley Health during that time. The honor of this recognition is open for all Nursing Assistants and other healthcare technicians employed at Valley Health, and is made by a patient who has received exceptional care at Winchester Medical Center. The patient stated: “I am impressed with this young lady’s care and dedication to her job. I am amazed at the meticulous care she took…to do so with such concern for my comfort… she went above and beyond to help me. It’s rewarding to see someone that young show so much care for someone under her care.” Bich said, “I was genuinely shocked to receive the carnation award and I’m extremely grateful for it. Receiving the award felt like a reassurance to me and the best thing ever as my time with the co-op program is coming to an end.” Another Nurse Aide co-op student from Frederick County Public Schools, Daniela Joya Escalante, was offered a full-time position as a CNA at Winchester Medical Center before she completed the co-op program in the spring of 2020. As a bilingual CNA with a strong technical skill set and work ethic, she is a shining star according to her Nurse Aide instructor Mary Mc

Namara. A nurse colleague at Winchester Medical Center recognized Daniela internally with an excellence award, stating, “Daniela always does things without us even thinking of asking her... Today, when I was busy, she took it upon herself to grab a patient’s vitals. She noticed I was busy and it was such a huge help. We love Daniela!” The Work-based Learning (WBL) programs in Clarke, Frederick, and Winchester Public Schools facilitate connections between students and employers. These students, and additional cooperative education students in a variety of industries continue to work to keep our community moving forward during uncertain times. Contact the Chamber’s Workforce Development committee if you would like to partner with area school divisions to build your workforce through WBL.

High School CTE Nursing Programs are thankful to our community partners

Local nurse aide students from Clarke and Winchester Public Schools found themselves in need of 7-14 hours of clinical time to be able to sit for the CNA exam after COVID 19 regulations would not allow them access to long-term care facilities they normally acquire the hours with. Through a partnership with Valley Health, approval was granted for these students to complete hours on the medical telemetry floor. The students worked for 14 hours during their summer break in order to fulfill their clinical requirement, enabling them to sit for their CNA exam. The hospital staff was impressed with their eagerness to learn and they performed with a high level of proficiency combined with compassion. The students were exposed to new experiences and their learning was robust. This collaboration means more local students are able to sit for their Board of Nursing exam, and serve the needs of our community. Thank you to Valley Health, and all community partners.

To learn more about CTE, please contact your child’s school division.

Since earning the 10,000th workforce credential from the Virginia Community College System’s (VCCS) FastForward job training program, life just keeps getting better and better for Winchester resident Ed Breeden. He had spent more than 20 years working at Zuckerman Co. when he learned the metal recycling company would soon be shutting down. His stepson Rodney urged him to return to school and get his GED. “Rodney is really the one who influenced me to go to Lord Fairfax in the first place,” says Breeden, who left James Wood High School in 10th grade to go to work. “I didn’t have a GED or the means to get a decent job.” Turning to LFCC’s Adult Education program was life-changing for Breeden. “I was about halfway done with my GED instruction when [adult education instructor] Katie Branson told me about this PluggedIn program,” Breeden said. PluggedInVA (PIVA) is an education and career training program of the Adult Education program offered at LFCC. It helps students attain the skills they need to move forward with their careers, and offers a variety of training, including in digital literacy, workplace readiness, interview skills, industrial trades, and allied health. Breeden registered for the digital literacy and career readiness certificate programs, as well as the Manufacturing Training (MT1) trade program. “I got my GED, I got my digital literacy, got the career readiness , got the manufacturing technician credential, got everything,” he says. “I’m all certified in everything now.” He quickly secured employment with Ashworth. “The hiring manager looked at my portfolio and my resume, and wanted to hire me right on the spot,” Breeden, a crimp operator, says. “My wife works in manufacturing, too. I thought it would be a good career for me. It’s something a little different and it’s something I can learn a little more about. I enjoy working with my hands and doing mechanical work, so I figured being a technician would be a great new career for me.” Not only does he now have benefits, but his

salary at his new job is significantly higher than what he had been paid at his old one. Breeden was recognized by Virginia’s Community Colleges as receiving the 10,000th workforce credential from the VCCS’s FastForward job-training program. “FastForward is doing exactly what we intended: improving the lives of Virginians by helping them start, or re-start their careers to meet the challenges of the ever-changing economy,” says Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Breeden and his wife enjoy antiquing and visiting flea markets on weekends. He is enjoying it even more now that he has more disposable income. “I’ve got a little more income now and can afford to splurge a little bit,” he says. “I’m doing more work to my house, and bought my wife a brand-new car and myself a pickup.” Before earning his GED, Breeden didn’t own a computer. Now, he uses one for email and other applications. “Going back to school has changed my life,” he says. “It really has. I was stuck before and thought I would be at my old job until I retired. Now I can talk about moving up a little bit, I can request a better position here if I want. Everyone here is so helpful, and I’m learning more every day.” And, Breeden might not be done with his formal education. He is considering taking business classes at LFCC. “Ed is the very definition of a PIVA success story, and has received more than 10 months of instruction and training from our program,” says LFCC Adult Education Director Amy Judd. “We’re so proud of him!” As he was taking his GED classes, his adult education instructors encouraged him to take advantage of PIVA because not only would it help him in finishing his GED, but it would also help him attain professional certification in a high-demand profession. “It prepares students like Ed for the academic rigor of college credit or workforce credentialing classes, helps them achieve numerous certifications, coaches them on workplace readiness skills, and assists them with their coursework once