DECA members attend Central Leader Conference in Minneapolis

Twenty-nine students from Columbia Area Career Center’s DECA organization recently traveled to Minneapolis, MN to take part in the DECA Central Region Conference. The students from Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge were among more than 3,000 students who converged on the Twin Cities to hear talks from marketing professionals from noteworthy companies such as Nike Golf, Target Corporation, Best Buy, Men’s Wearhouse, Ultra Creative, HOM Furniture, the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, Delta Airlines and many more. The three day event also featured nationally renowned motivational speaker Josh Shipp, hypnotist Brian Imbus and comedic motivational speaker Adam Ace. The students spent their three days further developing their skills in management, entrepreneurship, hospitality, sports marketing and finance. Students also had the opportunity to visit the nation’s largest shopping mall, The Mall of America. Many of these students will be moving on to competition which begins in February, 2015.

Minneapolis, MN

Madison McDonnell, Lily Burns, Noah Broderson, Mark David, Brett Norton and Courtney Callahan

Mark David, Becca Wagner, Abby Fulcher, Caitlin Price, Adison Capell, Matasen Chambers, Shannon Green, Noah Broderson, Brett Norton and Xane Keenan

Xane Keenan, Abby Fulcher, Shannon Greene, Noah Broderson, Becca Wagner, Matasen Chambers and Brett Norton

Adison Capell, Caitlin Price, Matasen Chambers, Abby Fulcher and Becca Wagner

Sara Swaney, Genny Bohr and Courtney Callahan

Mall of America

Big O Tire awards IPad Air to Career Showcase attendee

Lindsey Naugle and Melanie Coats

A big thank you to Rusty and Melanie Coats of Big O Tires, our Partner in Education, for their generous donation of the IPad Air awarded to Hickman Freshman Lindsey Naugle. Naugle attended Columbia Area Career's December 4th Career Showcase  where she completed a "fact finding" sheet which was entered into a drawing for an IPad Air.  The open house for prospective students and their families is a chance to explore the opportunities career center classes provide and to find out how to fit them into their high school 4 year plan. To make it easier for families to attend, Rusty and Melanie Coats prepared and served dinner to over 400 faculty, students and attendees at the Showcase. 

CACC Counselor Ellen Buechler, Big O Tires owner, Melanie Coats, Lindsey Naugle and Hickman Counselor, Todd Maher

Hickman hosts Ag Day

Ag instructor Chuck Miller and members of Columbia FFA hosted Ag Day at Hickman High School on Friday, November 7. Cows, sheep, goats,  turkeys and chickens were present and students were even able to try their hand at milking a cow. Students from Mizzou's Torq N Tigers displayed their racing tractor. Lincoln University's Commercial Vegetable Program sent representatives to talk with students. The State Technical College of Missouri also had a booth. A good time was had by all.

Tractors on display

Chickens

MU Torq N Tigers

Turkey

Goat

Sheep

Dairy Cows from the MU Dairy

Commercial Vegetable Program-Lincoln University

State Technical College of Missouri representative

Repair it Forward help Downtown Optimist Club

Career Center students Andrew Krall and Matt Elliott helped out at the Downtown Optimist’s Annual Christmas Tree sale. The Optimists provide funding for Windows licenses for the Career Center’s Repair It Forward program and students in the program are returning the favor. Repair It Forward refurbishes donated computers and provides them to those in need. Since January of 2014, the program has provided over 150 computers to 6 local charities and 5 educational programs.

 

Andrew Krall and Matt Elliott help Downtown Optomist Club sell Christmas trees

Holiday Plant Sale scheduled for December 11 and 12

The horticulture students at the Columbia Area Career Center invite you to our Holiday Floral and Poinsettia Sale on Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday, December 12, from 8:30 to 5:30.  The sale will take place in our “store” inside the red Horticulture Building and not inside the greenhouse as for the spring sale.

You may park on the West or East side of the Horticulture Building and enter at the East doors. 

See the attached plant sale flyer for details.

The plant sales we have throughout the year give students the chance to not only grow and design plants and flowers, but also learn to price, market and sell the products.  Students learn customer service skills and retail store operations.   We appreciate your support and  look forward to seeing you at the sale!

We  take orders for larger quantities of centerpieces, plants and flowers for holiday events or for special events throughout the school year.   Please email with questions or  to order.

Exploring Ag Students featured in City of Columbia Intern Program video

Exploring Ag Student and Rock Bridge Freshman Guillermo Hernandez- "G Man"- was recently featured in a YouTube video for the work he does with the City of Columbia's  Stormwater Education Project and specifically Stormy's Meadow. View the video below.

Students win I Tunes cards in Middle School Drawing

Congratulations to six Columbia Public School eighth grade students who won a $25 I Tunes Gift Card, donated by Big O Tires/Missouri-Arkansas! The winning students completed the Columbia Area Career Center surveys which were selected from a pool of entries. The middle school students  visited the high school they will be attending next year to learn more about careers and classes offered by Columbia Area Career Center.



Congratulations to:

• Erick Swansen-West Middle School
• Savannah Cossey-Smithton Middle School
• Ryan Rainey-Lange Middle School
• Adrian Maddox-Oakland Middle School
• Nga Reh-Jefferson Middle School
• Mary Capron-Gentry Middle School

Ryan Rainey and Lange Middle School Counselor, Carey Hughes

Career Showcase scheduled for December 4, 2014 from 5:30-7:30 pm

Everyone is Welcome

December 4, 2014

5:30-7:30 PM

Click here to view map of career center classrooms

Columbia Area Career Center Receives Grant for Computer Simulation Software

Students in A+ IT Essentials will have access to more resources thanks to a grant from computer training company, TestOut. The software acquired through the TestOut grant will provide students with over 90 computer simulations to prepare them for CompTIA’s A+ certification exams. In addition to the simulations, the package, valued at over $4,000, provides 145 training videos, dozens of demonstrations, and hundreds of practice exam questions.

 “This software package expands our teaching resources and provides our students with more exposure to what they will face in the work force,” says A+IT instructor David Hopkins. In addition to the new software, the students will continue to rebuild donated computers to provide to the community as part of the  “Cause an  Effect” program. Since its inception, computers have been donated to The Family Impact Center, CORE (Center of Responsive Education), and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination).

    "Cause an Effect"—encouraging students to have a positive impact on their school and community— is this year’s community service project for CACC's SkillsUSA chapter. 

Columbia Area Career Center Student elected to DECA State Action Team.

Rock Bridge High School Senior Madison McDonnell was elected as the DECA District 2 Vice President at the Fall Leadership Conference held at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. She will be the 2014-15 lead delegate for District 2 as well as a member of the Missouri DECA State Action Team. To be selected, Madison had to perform at high levels in three areas: Marketing/DECA Examination, Screening & Nominating Committee interviews and a general election comprised of student voting delegates from DECA chapters in District 2. This is  the first District Vice President from Columbia in more than three years. In this role, Madison will be instrumental in the development of the DECA state program for the year.

 

Madison McDonnell and Lily Burns

"I Can" Breakfast held to honor exceptional students

The "I Can" Award ceremony  was held November 11, 2014 at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri campus. Students receiving this honor exemplify the career center expectations of positive attitude, reliability, professionalism, initiative, responsibility, respect, integrity and gratitude as recognized by their teacher or peers. Each honoree and their family were invited to attend the breakfast ceremony where the student received a certificate and gift of recognition by CACC's Partner in Education, MU Operations.

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

Congratulations to the winners:

Tolton High School
Jack Murphy

Hallsville HighSchool
Mason Beachy
Jacob Crum
Trevor Drummond
Jabe McGee
Lenore Riley
Jacob Willhoite

Hickman High School
Lily Burns
DaiWei (David) Chen
Danielle DeFelice
Joe Ege
Abby Fulcher
Kelsey Ham
Richard Hill
Kassie Rankin
Elias Remus
Justin Rhine
Devin Savage
Rachel Sherman
Amanda Sun
Najah Thabit
Emma Thompson
Wyatt Thompson
Shaina Vangilder
Natalie Wigger
Si-fan Wu

Home Schooled
Luke Currey
Hasadiah Miner
Mariah Murphy

Battle High School
Taylor Ambra
Leam Beaird
TJ Brooks
Mason Cornelius
Elizabeth Fenner
Quentin Figge
Adrianna Gruer
Alexander Hedgcoth
Sterling Humburg-Cage
Seth Livingston
John Masarick
Miguel Montes
Julian Richardson
Weston Scott
Colton Snyder
Tia Taylor
Grace Ukoha
Josh Wade

Rock Bridge High School
Christina Banton
Annie Barnett
Alain Chen
Madison Cleeton
Andrew Cunningham
Claire Dinwiddie
Stephen Drown
Mark Fentress
Blake Forward
Rochita Ghosh
Mara Alyse Herman
Brooklyn Hill
Sonya Hu
Rory James
Morgan Kruse
Asa Linneman
Connor McLaren
Prarthana Patel
Madeline Perry
Cierra Porter
Megan Potthast
Tatum Pugh
Joseph Reneker
Maggie Robbins
Tyler Rod
Austin Roderick
Adam Sandstedt
David Sharpe
Kyle Shearrer
MaMay Si
Sam Speake
John Swift
Zachary Taylor
Robert  Thomas
Owen Van de Riet
Camryn Voth
Kyle Watkinson
Emily Wawrzyniak 
Louis Youmans

Southern Boone High School
Garrett Morrison

FFA members attend FFA National Conference

Twenty one students from the Columbia FFA Chapter attended the National FFA Convention held October 31-November 1 in Louisville, Kentucky.While there, students enjoyed a variety of activities. They attended leadership sessions, workshops and a general session with keynote speaker Nick Vujicic. The Career Fair and Expo was a great place for students to explore colleges and ag businesses. The convention also included a concert and rodeo and the students visited Keeneland Downs and Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

  FFA Rodeo is a good time for all
pictured-Bryce Aldridge, Katie Pasley and Josh Wade

Amber Dothage, Lily Grant and Thomas Fenner  enjoy a little Halloween fun

Student attend convention sessions in official dress
pictured-Austen DeHaven, Lily Grant and Thomas Fenner

Clinicals Begin

Students from Deb Canine's  and Monica Duemmel's Professions in Healthcare classes spent their first day of clinical experience at Lenoir Woods Nursing facility in Columbia, Missouri. Students must complete 75 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours of clinical experience as well as pass the CNA exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Deb Canine's Profession in Healthcare class of  2014-15

Monica Duemmel's morning Professions in Healthcare class

Monica Duemmel's afternoon Professions in Healthcare class

Entrepreneurship students excel at State Entrepreneurship Challenge

Friday, November 7, 2014:  Three teams of Columbia Area Career Center students from Hickman in Pete Eichholz's Entrepreneurship class qualified to compete for the state title in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Management's 2014 Missouri Entrepreneurship Challenge.  
In order to qualify, students had to create a new product or service for a school store that would either streamline efficiency, increase revenues or both. Students had to come up with a product and submit a business plan. Three of the twenty teams that made it to the state finals were from Columbia. 

  First Place team:

• Abby Fulcher
• Gareth Greenwell
• Caitlin Price
• Becca Wagner
• Mateson Chambers

Second Place team:

• Kay Frymire
• Sam Studer
• Eden Bartock
• Amy Hsu
• Max Parry

The winning team members each received a $1,000 renewable scholarship to UMKC and a tablet. The second place team each received a $1,000 scholarship to UMKC. The competition is sponsored by MasterCard, UMKC and the Missouri Council on Economic Education.  The third team to qualify for the state challenge consisted of Nick Nelson, Olivai Klenke, Maddie Gilmore, Mark David and Yoel Stefanos. 

The Entrepreneurship students from Pete Eichholz's class

First Place team, Mateson Chambers, Gareth Greenwell,
 Becca Wagner, Caitlin Price and Abby Fulcher

Battle High School hosts Ag Day

Students at Battle High School were treated to a day experiencing all things agriculture. Ag Day was held on November 6. Ag Instructor Meridith Haley and FFA members were on hand to help facilitate the activities. Ag Education and Industry organizations participating in the event were Mizzou College of Agriculture, Lincoln Tech and Missouri   Department of Conservation. Activities included butter churning, cow milking, hayrides, displays of the Conservation Department's fur collection, a face to face with barnyard animals and an  an Ag Olympics challenge. Students had a great time and can’t wait until next year!

Missouri Department of Conservation's collection of furs

Emily Adams feeds a horse

Students take a hayride around Battle High School

Student checks out Missouri Department of Conservation's collection 

FFA hosts Rock Bridge Ag Day

Columbia FFA hosted an Ag Day at Rock Bridge High School Thursday, October 23. Students from Kevin Duncan's Ag classes manned the various stations which introduced students to the large and varied world of agriculture. Representatives from Lincoln University and The State Technical College of Missouri  were on hand.  Student representatives from Mizzou demonstrated milking cows and displayed the tractor they built in Torqs N Tigers club. Missouri Department of Conservation brought their collection of native furs. Animals on hand  included dogs, chickens, duck, hogs, mule, horse, cows and goats.

Andrew Cunningham, Lauren Sanner, Katie Pasley, Rory James and Emily Adams

Louie the Duck

Katie Pasley and her duck, Louie

Dairy cow from MU Dairy

Dairy Cow from MU Dairy

Mariah Murphy and her mule

A Dorgi- a Dachshund Corgie mix

Missouri Department of Conservation exhibited furs

MU Torq N Tigers

MU Torq N Tigers

The State Technical College of Missouri

Lincoln University

Goat from Lincoln University