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Professional head shot of Sophia Nguyen, Maxwell's Student of the Year.

Maxwell's 2020-2021 Student of the Year

Each year, Maxwell High School of Technology selects a Career and Technical Education Student of the Year (SOTY). We are very pleased to announce that Maxwell’s SOTY for the 2020-21 school year is Sophia Nguyen! Sophia is a PM student in Ms. Hoag’s Work Based Learning program and is currently working as an intern at Lindsay, Pope, & Brayfield Associates. She was also a student in Ms. Tillman’s Architecture program last year. Sophia plans to attend Kennesaw State University next year and pursue a degree in architecture. We are very proud of Sophia and know that she will represent Maxwell well in her pursuit to be the Gwinnett County CTE SOTY. Congratulations, Sophia!

Manufacturing Receives Grant and New Equipment

The Manufacturing program received a $7,500 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation that included $2,500 for potential scholarships towards SkillsUSA and FIRST robotics. The Manufacturing lab also completed an installation of 24 new 3D printers as a part of its innovation grant. This allows the program to assign a machine to each student while having capacity to research and test new technology.

Automotive Technology Goes 3D

The General Automotive Technology program received 12 zSpace 3D VR laptop sets. This will be a great tool to help students experience different automotive systems in a Virtual Reality platform instead of using pictures and videos on a projector. Students can disassemble and reassemble components using tools in the VR program, run the animation, and watch it work. It is truly a must-see-to-believe system!

Automotive Technology student working with the 12 zSpace 3D VR laptop.


Out of 106 submissions (including seven from Maxwell), Samuel Jimenez was one of 12 high school students honored at the Third Annual Art Gala Exhibition. He was one of five High School Honorary Media Award winners.	Artwork created by Samuel Jimenez, a PM student in Ms. Snelling's Graphic Design program.	The Hughston Foundation Art Gala for the Biologically Inclined was created to support the national STEAM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math).

Out of 106 submissions (including seven from Maxwell), Samuel Jimenez was one of 12 high school students honored at the Third Annual Art Gala Exhibition. He was one of five High School Honorary Media Award winners.

Artwork created by Samuel Jimenez, a PM student in Ms. Snelling's Graphic Design program.

The Hughston Foundation Art Gala for the Biologically Inclined was created to support the national STEAM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math).

Maxwell student, Sinead Slocum, posing outside her workplace.

Fall Leadership Conference

SkillsUSA Georgia held its annual Fall Leadership Conference virtually this year. Maxwell students who attended joined SkillsUSA Georgia members from across the state of Georgia for a day full of impactful leadership development centered around the SkillsUSA Framework. Two of Maxwell's student members, Connor Sapper and Sinead Slocum (shown right), attended the conference where they enhanced their leadership skills and developed a working knowledge of the SkillsUSA Framework. We are proud to report that both Connor and Sinead earned their SkillsUSA Framework Certification during the conference. They also won the Statesman Award by passing a comprehensive test about SkillsUSA knowledge. Congratulations, Connor and Sinead!!!

Dress for Success

Work Ready is the advisement program at Maxwell High School of Technology that ensures its graduates have the essential soft skills needed to successfully enter the workforce and/or post-secondary education. This program is coordinated by Maxwell counselors, Dr. LaVonna Groce and Ms. Emily Latone.

Maxwell Students, YOU are Essential is the theme of Work Ready this year. Maxwell counselors hope all Maxwell students know how essential their skills are in the workplace. Maxwell students’ skills make them a popular and highly qualified job candidate now and in the future! Because Maxwell students’ skills will be sought after in the workforce, it is imperative that students learn work ready lessons no matter how they are attending school: digital (virtual) or in-person.

Furthermore, the Work Ready program went digital this year for the first time. Due to COVID- 19 protocols, students are attending Maxwell digitally and in-person. Because of this factor, the first sessions of Work Ready were presented this way as well. Students attended Work Ready sessions on their computers from home, and in-person students attended in class viewing the sessions on projector screens.

Dr. Jon Valentine, GCPS Director of Foreign Language, was the keynote speaker for the Work Ready Dress for Success session and delivered his first ever virtual Maxwell Work Ready session. He talked to students about looking their best both virtually and in person for this changing job market to make the best first impression. Dr. Valentine discussed the importance of punctuality and the steps of interviewing. Some of the points discussed were how to give a good first impression even if your interview is in a digital or virtual setting. Dr. Valentine taught Maxwell students many lessons in this session that will help them succeed in the working world.

A screenshot of the Zoom session Getting Along with Others.

Getting Along with Others: Empathy and Personality In the Workplace

The second Maxwell Work Ready seminar this school year, Getting Along with Others: Empathy and Personality in the Workplace, was led by Maxwell counselors, Dr. LaVonna Groce and Ms. Emily Latone. This seminar was presented to all Maxwell students both in-class and virtually with the help of Maxwell teachers. In this session, Maxwell students learned about empathy in the workplace and personality differences by completing the Colors Personality assessment.

Pictured above are digital students listening to the Work Ready session on Zoom in a teacher's classroom. Since many students are digital/virtual, they were allowed to change their Zoom backgrounds to the color they received after completing the Colors Personality assessment (blue, green, orange, or gold).

A screen shot of the Zoom session with Year Up recruiter, Mr. Corey Johnson.

Maxwell Students Learn about Year Up Apprenticeships

On November 12, Maxwell counselors offered Maxwell seniors an opportunity to learn about Year Up apprenticeships. Thirty Maxwell students attended sessions both virtually and in-person. Mr. Corey Johnson, a Year Up recruiter, led the session and informed students about the Year Up apprenticeship program, which offers job training in IT, customer service, finance, free college credit, and a salary while attending Year Up. Senior students must apply and be accepted in the spring to receive these benefits. Many Maxwell students who attended this informational session plan to apply to Year Up. To find out more information about Year Up Apprenticeships, visit www.yearup.org.