Marshall County Middle School Students Explore Their Potential Future at CTE Camp
Emma Delk Trending
GLEN DALE -- John Marshall High School was filled with nearly 180 middle schoolers eager to learn a variety of skills, from welding to cooking, during the fifth annual Career and Technical Education Summer Camp.
The free camp was held at the high school on Monday and Tuesday and was open to any incoming sixth through ninth grader at Marshall County Schools.
Over the two days, the campers participated in two of 14 programs during morning and afternoon class sessions. Some of the classes included Agriculture, Automotive Technology, Broadcasting, Business, Culinary Arts & Crafting, Firefighter/EMT, Information Technology/ Project Lead the Way (PTLW) Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, Therapeutic Services, Welding and Woodworking.
Marshall County Schools teachers led the students through the various activities in each program. These activities included making dice in welding, constructing birdhouses in woodworking and learning how to pickle foods in culinary arts and crafting.
The Glen Dale Volunteer Fire Department also lent personnel and equipment for the Firefighter/EMT program. Students participated in a classroom search-and-rescue drill and took a fire truck tour, including shooting the fire hose.
Campers in the Health Occupations program received a dental assisting lesson from John Marshall Science Teacher Nicolette Secrest on Monday. The students then headed to WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital on Tuesday to participate in Stop the Bleed and CPR classes and tour the hospital.
John Marshall and Cameron High School CTE students also assisted teachers in running the various programs. Marshall County Schools Career and Technical Education Counselor Melanie Knutsen, who organizes the camp, said that students helping out the teachers allowed campers to enjoy more activities.
"We have a lot of helpers with the campers today," Knutsen said. "It's really helpful, particularly for the Welding program, because the high school welding students can help the middle schoolers as they are actually welding with helmets on and everything. Having students able to monitor these kids makes sure they all can participate in these activities safely, rather than if only one or two teachers were helping them."
Knutsen said many student aides had participated in the CTE Summer Camp before high school. She noted the camp serves as a "feeder program" for John Marshall and Cameron CTE programs since it ignites middle schoolers' interest in the available programs.
"The John Marshall Welding Instructor Jayson Summers meets students who interview for his program in high school at the summer camp, and they've told him that they've been waiting to sign up for welding since that summer camp," Knutsen said. "I think it's cool that the students can make those kinds of connections. If they hit it off with the right program during the camp, they may stay with it all through high school."
Knutsen added that the number of CTE students in the county has increased over the past five years since the camp began. She noted that it was important for students to learn that CTE programs were for any student, whether they wanted to attend college after high school or go straight into the workforce.
"We want to do everything we can to get the word out about the CTE programs and the fact that there's something in them for everybody," Knutsen said. "Overall, it's really fun to plan for the kids, and I like offering these activities for the students. Sometimes summer can become a bit boring for kids if they're just in their house all day, so it's a fun way to get the students out of the house."