CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Career and Technology Center received several commendations, including a 100 percent graduation rate, during its April 19 follow-up coaching visit from Dave Leavitt, a school improvement consultant with High Schools and Technology Centers That Work.
In correspondence provided by Executive Director Lois Richards at Monday night’s Joint Operating Committee meeting, Leavitt described the school’s graduation rate as “a phenomenal accomplishment” that should be celebrated by everyone involved at the CCCTC.
“It’s something that I’m very proud of. I think it’s something that we can all be proud of,” she said. “Every student who comes to school here goes on to graduate. We help keep kids in school, I think, and we’re continuing our move upwards.”
Leavitt also listed the following commendations to Richards:
- The school is an example of collaboration between programs, while it’s evidenced by the work between the construction and architectural drafting programs.
- Its use of a “Math Problem of the Week” is an “excellent example” of celebrating math at the CCCTC.
- It’s starting to grow the literacy initiative.
- The school has submitted six programs of study, bringing the total of submitted programs to seven.
- Auto collision and auto technology instructors are utilizing BlackBoard, an online educational platform, with their students. It’s created an ongoing dialog between the students and their teachers around literacy.
- The BlackBoard project has resulted in a “question bank” similar to those found on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) assessments. This allows students to become familiar with the NOCTI question style.
- A cosmetology teacher is using the learning pyramid shared from the coach’s previous visit.
- A scheduled June in-service will feature each instructor who’ll be sharing a literacy strategy used by them.
Prior to the meeting, collision repair instructor Darrin Dale, who has taught at the CCCTC for four years, was recognized by the committee as this year’s “Outstanding Instructor.” Richards said it was rare for a short-time faculty member to receive the award.
However, Dale was selected for “a lot of reasons,” but mostly for his single-handed effort to obtain the “high priority occupation” designation for his program. He has also pursued the I-CAR, an industry certification, for his students.
“He’s written grants and pursued dual enrollment. His program has become the fifth dual enrollment program here at the CCCTC,” Richards said. “He works extremely well with the students and has really risen to the plate the past four years.”
Instructor Dan Kerlin and two automotive mechanics students, Josh Miller of Curwensville Area High School and Brant Serena of Clearfield Area High School vouched to their experience of assembling this year’s motorcycle, which placed second in its class at a professional bike show in Reading.
This year, the students dedicated their custom-made bike to the U.S. military. “They came up with this idea completely on their own. The students have built motorcycles in the past, but they didn’t honor anyone. This one is special because it does – it honors somebody,” Kerlin said.
Miller learned how to tear down a motorcycle, in addition to gaining the experience of working on its engine, brakes, wiring and exhaust. He didn’t have any past knowledge or experience about any of it and was honored to be a part of assembling the bike.
While Serena picked up many of the same skills as Miller, he noted that tearing down and assembling the motorcycle trained him in other areas, such as learning and working as a team.
According to Kerlin, the students’ military-style motorcycle was the lone amateur entry at the professional bike show. He asked that it be announced, and afterward, many veterans came over and were shaking their hands.
The students began building this year’s motorcycle when they returned from the holiday break Jan. 2. In rotation the students’ work continued through the end of March, he said.
