Career & Technical Student Organizations Serve their community

Check out how our CTSO's have been serving the community.



Columbia FFA members from Hickman High School made  "no-sew" fleece blankets to donate to Ronald McDonald House.

Columbia FFA members from Battle High School participated in "Adopt a Soldier" where they collected items for a care package for a local soldier (a Hickman graduate) who is deployed overseas.

Columbia FFA members from Rock Bridge High School are writing letters to Santa as part of the Macy's Believe campaign. For every letter written, Macy's donates $1 to the Make-A-Wish foundation. They also collected food and money for the Central Missouri Food Bank. 

SkillsUSA members sponsored a "Mitten Tree" to collect hats, mittens and scarfs for Rainbow House, a children's emergency shelter and homeless youth program.

 FEA members collected winter clothing for students at Alpha Hart Elementary.

FBLA members from Hickman High School baked cookies and delivered them to Rainbow House and McCambridge Center. 

DECA members helped with the marketing of Columbia's First Night (now called Eve Fest). Students handed out flyers in the Thanksgiving parade and put up posters in local businesses.



                                                       

In January, HOSA members will be sponsoring a Blood Drive with the American Red Cross.

                 SkillsUSA members, Jon Antel, Katie Hurdle, Nishant Sinha, Andrew Selva and Austin Renwick  pose by                        the "Mitten Tree"

Course Guide Cover Contest Winner announced

Congratulations to Abby Fulcher, Hickman junior and Graphic Design student, for winning the course guide design contest. The task of designing the cover is open to digital media students. Digital Media instructors select several submissions then allow CACC staff to vote for their favorite. Abby wanted something that would be colorful and stand out. She experimented with 3-D tools to create the final design. 

Abby's career center classes have included Digital Media, Broadcast Journalism and currently Graphic Design with Kristi Deneke. As for future plans, Abby is thinking about a possible career in Graphic Design, in which case, she is off to a great start. 

FIRST Robotics team "the Army Ants" receive $5,000 NASA Grant

Columbia's FIRST Robotics Team--the Army Ants--has received a $5,000 grant from the NASA Robotics Alliance Project. The grant will be used to compete in the St. Louis Regional Robotics competition March 13-15, 2014. This is the fourth year that CPS Columbia Area Career Center will send the Army Ants Team #3792 to competition. The team brings students and mentors together to master skills and concepts in science, engineering, and technology through robotics. Students gain valuable career and life skills, as well as provide outreach presentations in Boone County. Team members work alongside professional engineers and technicians to design and build a 100-plus pound robot to compete regionally, nationally, and internationally. FIRST stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." The 2014 season kickoff is January 4 when the challenge is revealed and the six-week build and design season begins.

Central Missouri Innovation Campus program offers IT education opportunities

Information Technology is in high demand.  The Governors' initiative to make education opportunities available and affordable as well as relevant to the current local job demand has allowed Linn State Technical College, Lincoln University and Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce to establish the Central Missouri Innovation Campus(CMIC) program. Students interested in a degree in Computer Programming or Computer Information Systems through CMIC can find out more by clicking here.

A+ IT Essentials class teams up with Missouri Employers Mutual

It’s all about real world experience!  Each and every day, career center students are involved in situations that give them practical, hands-on learning opportunities.

David Hopkins’ A+ IT Essentials students learn how computers operate by assembling and configuring computers, installing operating systems and software as well as troubleshooting computer related problems. These skills were put to the test when they refurbished five of the 100 computers donated by Missouri Employers Mutual. The newly configured computers are ready to be donated. The first recipient of this project, the Islamic School of Columbia, was referred by the Voluntary Action Center Executive Director, Nick Foster. Thanks to A+ IT students, Robert Betts (RBHS),  Matthew Elliott (RBHS), Andrew Krall (HHS) and Justus Palmer (RBHS) for putting their skills to work. Thanks to Derek Scoble, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer and Brad Sites, Database Administrator at MEM, for partnering with Columbia Area Career Center students and staff for the benefit of the community. The students are looking forward to refurbishing the remainder of the donated computers and assisting  with finding them new homes.

Mirsada Ivankovic, Principal of the Islamic School of Columbia was very appreciative for  receiving the computers that will be used in the school computer lab. Accompanying her on the computer pick up were PTA President, Wafa Mufleh, and  a parent volunteer.

 Robert Betts, Matthew Elliott, Andrew Krall, David Hopkins, Brad Sites (back row)
Islamic School representatives (seated) 

Skill Expo 2014

Ag Day at Battle High School a success

Columbia Area Career Center's Ag Instructor, Larry Henneke performed his usual magic of introducing students to the world of Agriculture at the first annual Ag Day. With assistance from local Ag organizations, Battle High School was transformed into a mini farm! The day included activities for all the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Students had the opportunity to take a hayride, view farm machinery, sample whole hog  and leg of lamb, see a drone demonstration, watch an ultrasound of a ewe to check for pregnancy, and visit the barnyard complete with a dairy cow, sheep, miniature donkey, mule, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, cat, rabbit, and horse. Henneke teaches Wildlife Conservation, Exploring Ag Science, Welding Technology and Small Gas Engines in the career center wing of Battle High School. The goal of Ag day was to promote agriculture and increase students awareness in ag courses taught through the career center at Battle.

Students in an ag class are eligible to become a member of FFA. The event  gave Battle FFA members a chance to endorse their chapter and show off the various activities in which they participate.

The Columbia Fire Department was on hand for the side by side room burning display which demonstrates the benefit of room sprinklers.The display was built by Henneke's Advanced Welding  and Project Fabrication class at the career center.

Ag Olympic challenges were set up for student advisory classes to test their farm ability. Students and staff participated in tire throwing and tug of war, with the winning class receiving a pizza party.

College representatives from University of Missouri-Columbia, Linn State Technical College, University of Missouri Science and Technology, University of Central Missouri, and William Woods University were on hand to meet and distribute information to potential students.

Missouri Department of Conservation brought animal furs for students to examine.

University of Missouri Extension specialist, Kent Shannon demonstrated a drone used in ag research.

Check out the story in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Case Tractor on display

New Holland tractor and baler on display

Hogs

Dairy Cow from Foremost Dairy

Miniature donkey and mule

Chickens

University of Central Missouri

William Woods University

University of Missouri College of Food and Natural Resources

Missouri S & T

Linn State Technical College

Hayride

Ag Instructors, Larry Henneke and Meridith Thornton

Missouri Department of Conservation

Career Center students on the job

Check out career center students, Kira Kirk, Salah Daghlas and John "Cormac" Sullivan at their EEE internships or jobs, in this brief YouTube video filmed by their EEE teacher Jake Geissmann. To view more videos about CPS students, click here.

CACC students tour Linn State Technical College

CACC students at Linn State Technical College

Columbia Area Career Center students recently visited Linn State Technical College (LSTC).  LSTC is the only publicly-supported, two-year institution of higher education in Missouri having a statewide charge devoted solely to technical education. The College has a 95 percent job-placement rate because it goes to significant lengths to develop close ties with area businesses and industry leaders.

The Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC., named LSTC as one of the nation’s 120 top community colleges, placing it in the top 10 percent three years in a row.

The Career Center maintains 14 dual credit and articulation agreements with LSTC which give students a head-start into post-secondary degree programs there, allowing qualifying students to earn college credit for the course work they complete while attending the Career Center. Dual credit and articulation agreements recognize the rigor of Career Center courses and expand opportunities for our students by providing a seamless transition from secondary to higher education programs, significantly reducing degree completion time and college tuition costs.

Career Center students representing A+ IT, Automotive Technology, Civil Engineering, Computer-Aided Design, Electronics, Construction Technology, Certified Welding, Welding Technology, Advanced Welding, Small Engine Technology and Greenhouse Production participated in the visit day.  Students toured the campus, visited programs of interest, talked with instructors, heard a presentation from Student Services including enrollment information, and had lunch on campus, provided by the College.

"I Can" Award Breakfast held at MU Alumni Center

The first "I Can" award ceremony of the new school year was held November 14 at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri campus. Students receiving this honor exemplify the career center expectations of Attendance, Respect, Safety, Responsibility, Quality and Teamwork as determined by their teacher or peers. Each recipient and their family are invited to attend the breakfast ceremony where the student is honored with a certificate and gift  of recognition by the career center's Partner in Education, MU Administrative Services.

MU Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Jackie Jones, was also recognized for  her contribution to the "I Can" program. This was Jones' final ceremony to preside over as she will retire at the end of the year. As a token of appreciation, CACC director, Linda Rawlings presented her with a gift. 

Photos from the event can be viewed on CACC's Facebook page.

Congratulations to the winners:

Douglass High School

Haleigh Denton Hallsville High School Adetokunbo (Comfort)  Awosanmi Katlin Proctor Nicholas  Putting Trenton Rice Battle High School Taja'mir Butler Mohamed El-Walid Thomas Fenner Lily Grant Robin Haithcoat Michael Harrington Mariah Haskins Devin Klotz Anna Leotta Ethan Mackey McKenzie Meyer Gillian Schulte Lindsay Smith Tatiana Winters Hickman High School Amy Agnew Joshua Bond Loyal Carpenter Reagan Dugan Taylor  Farrill-Roberts Katelyn Iles Ahmed-Zakariyya Krgo Hannah Morgan Aaron  Mott Cole Nelson Jackson Nicoli Donald  Nowlin Mary Jane O'Connor Vincent Palmer Caitlin Price Ethyn Reasoner Jarod Reese Linnea Swansen Cody Thurmond Sydney Timmerman Tierra Tindall Jacob Toler Katherine Weir Rock Bridge High School Noah Adam Clark  Ballou-Crawford Carson Banks Haley Benson Aliyah Blackburn Chandler Bramstedt Emily Bruhn Genaro Cabrera Neil Cathro Patrick Connor  Crabtree Clarissa Curry Abigale Decker Lauren Forrest Madeline Grant Cannon Hackett Julia Hill Carmen Holtgraewe Brady Hughes Jessica Klein Shray Kumar Adam Lafferty Reilly Long Keegan McGonagle Josephine Miller Othman Muraywid Vaughn O'Gorman Madeline Perry Carly Raetz Suryanshi Rawat Joseph Reneker Kylie Renwick Kristen Ruesch Adam Sandstedt Maximilian Schaefer Austin  Scoles Lindsey Smith John Cormac Sullivan Joseph Sutton James  Terry James Thomason Coulter  Tilton Kayla Weaver David Holland

HOSA Members Attend Fall Leadership Conference

Lake St. Louis was the site of the 2013 HOSA Fall Leadership Conference. 300 HOSA members from around the state were present. The meeting was presided over by State President and Vice President Jenny Zulovich and Alex Komes, both CACC students. Also attending were advisors Monica Duemmel, Michael Giblin and Karen Hirst.

CACC HOSA members

State HOSA President, Jenny Zulovich and Vice President, Alex Komes

Getting to Know Laser Technology

Laser Technology is a class that integrates SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING and MATH (STEM). Students interested in science, investigating how light behaves under different conditions and using high-tech tools for experiments, can explore this field by enrolling in Laser Technology as a 9^th or 10^th grader. In this introductory class, students will create holograms, conduct multiple experiments using lasers, develop and produce a product using a CO2 laser, discover how fingerprints look under lasers and create a bridge from laser light. Students keep logbooks for all experiments. After completing this class, students may advance to Photonics I and Photonics II which will qualify for ½ unit of science credit and 1 ½ units of Practical Arts credit.

Becoming a Laser Technician requires a minimum of two years of college, with many students continuing on with a 4 year engineering degree. The course sequence in Photonics will earn a student 12 hours of articulated credit from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa (the closet Laser program to Missouri). National statistics indicate that the median salary earned by a Photonics Technician is $59,060.

If you know a student who might be interested in Laser classes, please plan to attend the Skill Expo at Columbia Area Career Center on January 9, 2014, 5:00pm-7:00pm.  More information about these courses can be found on the website:

http://career-center.org/ .

FFA National Convention Results

Congratulations to Columbia FFA  Environmental and Natural Resource team for placing first  and Poultry Evaluation team for placing 2nd in the nation at the 86th FFA National Convention held in Louisville, KY, October 30-November 2.

Members of the Environmental and Natural Resource team and their individual placings were as follows:

Isabelle Mitchell-4th place

Austin Wallace-10th place

Carson Banks

Kira Kirk

Advisor Larry Henneke, Austin Wallace, Isabelle Mitchell, Kira Kirk, Carson Banks and Louisville NRCS rep

Members of the Poultry Evaluation team and their individual placings were as follows:

Michelle Ross-3rd place 

& high individual in Further Processed Poultry 

Rachel Kirchhofer-4th place

Kassie Rankin-6th place

Lainyn Kerley-10th place

Advisor Kevin Duncan, Lainyn Kerley, Rachel Kirchhofer, Kassie Rankin, Michelle Ross & Tyson Representatives

Michelle Ross grading carcass and parts 

A cash prize of $1,000.00 was awarded to each member of the 1st place Environmental and Natural Resource team with additional cash prizes awarded to individuals placing in the top ten scores of each event.
Advisors Larry Henneke and Kevin Duncan are extremely proud of the dedication and effort these students demonstrated throughout the event.

Each year, the National FFA Organization honors FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. 
The American FFA Degree is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence.  

This year three Columbia  FFA members were awarded the American FFA Degree; 2012 Hickman graduate,Benjamin Carpenter, 2011 Hickman graduate, Cooper Martin and 2010 Hickman graduate, Andrew Perry.  

To be eligible, FFA members must have earned and productively invested $7,500 through a supervised agricultural experience program in which they start, own or hold a professional positition in an existing agricultural enterprise. Recipients must also complete 50 hours of community service and demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities and civic involvement. Each recipient of the American FFA Degree received a gold American FFA Degree key and a certificate after being recognized on stage at the National Convention.  


Advisors Chuck Miller and Meridith Thornton chaperoned  an additional group of FFA members attending the convention. The group  toured the Louisville Slugger factory museum, Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby,attended convention sessions, a hypnotist performance and a rodeo. 

Columbia FFA at Louisville Slugger Museum

Columbia FFA at Churchill Downs

Columbia FFA at National FFA Convention

Rodeo

Geospatial Analysis class assists with Australia fire spotting

Geospatial Analysis students had the opportunity to put their skills to work by helping spot wildfires in New South Wales, Australia. Using the Tomnod organization, they are scanning satellite views and “tagging” what they believe to be fires or burned buildings. A worldwide team of GIS specialists are enlisted for campaigns like this to help monitor disasters.  In a class block, Laura Estabrooks and her 7 students tagged over 1300 active fires or burned buildings in fire damaged areas. 

Pointing out a fire. Note the False-Color infrared imagery, where healthy vegetation appears red.

Checking for fire damage in populated areas

Students observe sightings of fires.