New Horizons Career and Technical Education Centers participated in the Academies of Hampton Career Exploration event at the Hampton Convention Center. Students from different programs represented New Horizons while upcoming freshmen and sophomores explored the convention center.

On Wednesday, October 19th, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Norfolk Office visited the Woodside Lane Campus to show our Criminal Justice classes how to isolate and case a crime scene. Students practiced drawing and photographing the scene, identifying clues, and marking evidence. These students received a crash course in becoming a Junior Agent with the FBI.

Early this month, the Culinary Arts classes traveled to Charlottesville, VA to visit Carter Mountain and pick delectable apples in preparation for holiday pie production. In addition to learning their unit on Pies, they also visited Monticello and received a history lesson on cuisine from Thomas Jefferson’s kitchen.

The Governor's School for Science and Technology (GSST) has partnered with Virginia Tech's Computational Modeling and Data Analytics (CMDA) department to bring the new and young field of Data Science to high school students at GSST. The program focuses on conducting data analysis with a focus on critical thinking, communication of results, and learning the introductory programming skills required to get into the field of data science.

The primary purpose of data science is to take complex and large datasets and derive meaningful conclusions from them that help makes better decisions in policy, business, medical, and STEM fields. The field has gained notoriety in the previous 20 years due to its significance in the rise of silicon valley tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Tesla, and many more. It has been said that "Data is the new oil," and we are finding this out as we continue to further its uses in our daily life. Data Science has proven its staying power and usefulness in industry and academia, and it does not appear to be losing its impact on the world anytime soon. Skills learned in this class will benefit students greatly in any STEM field they join along their college career path.

This course encourages GSST students to develop and practice the process of thinking critically with data in the context of real-world problems. Students will import, manage, summarize, and visualize data using programmable, statistical software. They will discover data, make decisions, generate hypotheses, and communicate their findings in data, considering the roles of probability and personal biases in decision-making. Additionally, students will identify ethical issues and vulnerabilities in analyses.

The Center for Apprenticeship & Adult Training (CFAAT) had the pleasure of visiting Heritage High School to present on opportunities with CFAAT and answer questions about options after graduating during their lunch periods.

The Center for Apprenticeship and Adult Training began a new Medical Administrative Assistant cohort with the Youth Workforce Center. A huge 'Welcome Back' goes to the returning instructor, Chanel Dillard-Miles for embracing the new cohort. Congratulations to the students for beginning a new pathway that will lead to amazing opportunities.

The Trauma-Response Training experience gave the Youth Workforce Center (YWC) team a moment and a space to engage in introspection, challenge our assumptions, create a shared understanding, and redirect our efforts. The information was shared with such enthusiasm and conviction, that participants were thoroughly engaged from start to finish. YWC explored several practical strategies that could be used to become more responsive to the youth and young adults YWC serves. Special thank you to Fred Liggins from Philoxenia Culture, three words - Innovative, Impactful, and Inspiring!!

In partnership with the Williamsburg Health Foundation, The Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic is excited to announce SSPARK: Skills and Support for Parenting Adaptive and Resilient Kids. This is a free resource for interested families.

SSPARK is a group for parents of children 3-12 years old, designed to provide information about child development and parenting skills to strengthen parent-child communication and cooperation. While parents are in group, children 5+ can participate in Student Success Skills, a group designed to help kids develop academic, social, and self-management skills. For children under 5, or those who do not participate in Student Success Skills, childcare will be provided.

Who: Parents and children in the Greater Williamsburg Region

When: Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30pm, starting October 11

Where**: Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic, 301 Monticello Ave, Williamsburg, VA 23185

**Virtual options for parents may be available!

For more information or to enroll, visit linktr.ee/wmfcec