COTTAGE GROVE – During a tour organized by the Lane Education Service District, community members and other schools had the chance to explore the career technical education (CTE) programs that Cottage Grove High School (CGHS) offers.
Five CTE student ambassadors led a tour of the school through nine classrooms with CTE programs. The programs are designed to prepare students for the workforce and higher education by combining academic knowledge with hands-on, practical experience in specific career fields.
In the vocational technology building, construction and manufacturing are offered to students. Various woodshop classes are offered and provide students with entry-level carpentry skills they can use after they graduate.
“We’ve had some going directly into apprenticeships as well,” said construction teacher Adam Dimock. According to Dimock, students can build sheds and, in previous years, have even built houses.
Computer science students can gain experience in mobile app and software development, web page and game design. Kyle Mullen, the computer science teacher, said students have access to industry-level equipment and software.
“I think the ones that are the flashiest are probably video games that kids make. It incorporates a lot of different mediums, such as art, music, design, and storytelling. Those are the biggest, and those are the most interactive,” Mullen said. “Kids learn how to program and code things that are usually unseen. People don’t see the code of the website.”
CGHS also offers art classes in studio art, architectural design, ceramics, and drawing. The fine arts teacher, Jack Stepp, said students can get college credit for these classes. Senior student Grace said she is going to college for art history.
“I’ve always liked art, but being in art classes every year made me decide I want to study that, and I want to look at that and preserve that,” she said. “I like to see the different ways people could make it, and I like to see how it evolves. I think that other people should also learn how people have expressed themselves over time.”
Jared Hutchins teaches health occupation classes that also give students college credits, including medical terminology, medical assisting, and human body systems one and two.
Some students in his classes said they want to pursue careers as trauma surgeons, nurses, and pediatric surgeons.
Culinary students work in a kitchen classroom making meals. They cater food for fundraiser events, cook lunches for teachers every month, and have the opportunity to get their food handlers’ cards. They also made lunch for the tour group that day.
“The biggest benefit is they get to eat at least once a week, but it’s set up so they’re learning real-world skills so they can go out from this class and get a job in an actual restaurant,” Tony Rust, culinary teacher, said. One student already has a job working at Jack Sprats.
Ricardo Florez teaches business classes, including apparel design, advertising, and the student store, where students get trained on a point-of-sale system. Students said they have learned how to communicate, collaborate with businesses, and speak publicly.
When students design graphics for apparel, they practice working with clients in a real-world setting.
“We usually just talk with the client to make sure that they like it. They sometimes either give us the image they want, or we make it ourselves, and they finalize it,” said one student.
Grants have been used to further the school’s CTE programs. Manufacturing teacher Nate Farrell said a recent Springfield grant was used at the beginning of the year to purchase programmable logic controllers for the robotics class.
An Oregon revitalization grant was used to add an awning and cemented area outside the construction building, according to South Lane School District’s assistant superintendent Brian McCasline.
