The Arcadia High School (AHS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department hosted a virtual Q&A session regarding CTE courses offered at AHS. The session that was hosted on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. provided middle and high school students and parents with an opportunity to inquire and learn more about CTE classes at AHS. 

Ms. Breanne Genite, the CTE Coordinator said, “The Beyond U event welcomes current middle and high school students and parents to explore the CTE courses that AHS has to offer. This is an opportunity for them to hear about the benefits of CTE classes, what courses are available, and learn about the quality instruction and facilities that students have access to within the CTE programs.”

CTE classes are classes that provide students the opportunity to experience and learn about new information and apply the information acquired from academic classes to “real world” situations. Many of the CTE courses offered are also UC-approved. 

According to the CTE website, “AHS offers five industry sectors and eight pathways. A pathway is a sequence of two or more CTE courses. Courses in a pathway are classified as an Introductory or beginning course, Concentrator for the intermediate course and Capstone for the final or advanced course.”

Here are some of the CTE courses and their brief descriptions:

• Beginning Dance: A CTE introductory course that introduces students to the basics of dance, dance history, and terminology.
• Graphic Design: A UC-approved, CTE introductory course that gets students familiar with visual arts and design.
• Beginning Television Production: This UC-approved, CTE introductory course introduces students to video and media production.
• Sports Medicine: An introductory CTE course designed to expose students to training that pertains to careers in the medical field.
• Animation: An UC Approved course that uses projects to teach students about animations through creative projects.
• Retail Marketing: This after-school course is designed for students who currently have a job. This course teaches students about retail work, tax preparation, career advancement, and other retail work-related topics. 

The above-mentioned courses are a few of the many CTE courses offered at AHS, and many of the listed courses also have intermediate and advanced levels. 

“Career Technical Education (CTE) classes provide training and experience through a wide variety of classes in subject areas like; business management, computer science, dance, engineering, food science, graphic design, retail marketing, stagecraft, sports medicine, and video production. CTE offers a unique opportunity for students to acquire information, utilize this information through hands-on activities, and apply knowledge through “real-world” application of skills in academic courses,” said Ms. Genite.

Hannah Hokanson, a sophomore, and member of the Orchesis Dance Company (A CTE class) said, “Orchesis has overall been such an amazing experience and I have been able to learn so much this year. We are able to work with not only our directors but also outside choreographers which allows us to experience different types of dancing and choreography. There are of course stressful times due to our tough schedule but it allows us to further grow and manage our time sufficiently.  Orchesis is an amazing program and I am so grateful for the company!”

“The Graphic Design courses are a great way for students who are interested in pursuing a career in design to take because they will learn the technical skills like using the industry-standard applications, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. In addition, they will learn foundational design skills to create beautiful designs that they will have for a professional portfolio.  After taking the course some will be ready for entry-level jobs or to pursue higher education,” said Ms. Ing Mu, the Graphic Design teacher.

More information regarding CTE courses can be found on the CTE website, the CTE curriculum guide, and through this YouTube video about CTE courses at AHS.

Photo courtesy of CTE