OCS CTAE News
November 2021
Welcome to the Oconee County Schools CTAE Newsletter!
Beth Parks
Oconee County Schools
Director of CTAE
October CTAE Business Partner of the Month
Oconee County Schools appreciates all of the local businesses that partner with our CTAE Programs. We are excited about our new Business of the Month program and continuing to recognize those that go above and beyond to support CTAE!
For the month of October, we were pleased to select Mars Hill Animal Hospital to be recognized as the CTAE Business Partner of the Month. Mars Hill Animals Hospital is always a strong supporter of our district's Work-Based Learning Program and consistently hires our high school students to work in their clinic. They also work with our Agriculture Education program at NOHS to support students through various projects and activities. In addition, Mars Hill Animal Hospital sponsored Ms. Wood, NOHS Counselor, to participate in a summer externship at their facility. We appreciate all Mars Hill Animal Hospital does for CTAE in Oconee County!
November CTAE Business Partner of the Month
Oconee County Schools is pleased to recognize the Oconee Preschool Academy and Executive Director, Nikki Wright, as the November CTAE Business Partner of the Month! Nikki Wright's presence and leadership has been a mainstay at Oconee Preschool Academy for over 20 years. She has made it her mission to provide quality child care to the families of Oconee. As Executive Director, she has been an integral part of OCHS's Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) programs, having hosted dozens of interns into her preschool classrooms. She has also been committed to promoting early childhood education by serving on ECE's Program Advisory Committee, as well as the county-wide CTAE Executive Advisory Committee.
Speed Interviews!
State Superintendent's Recognition
Each year the CTAE division of the Georgia Department of Education hosts a Superintendent’s Recognition Ceremony to recognize those students who have achieved excellence within their CTSO at the national level. Career and Technical Student Organizations, CTSOs, play an integral role in preparing students to become college- and career-ready members of society! CTSO students are better prepared to meet the demands of the workplace because they offer real-world experience to compliment the academic studies of the classroom. CTSO membership totaled over 148,000 students in Georgia last school year.
Oconee County High School's FCCLA chapter was honored to have three student recognized by Superintendent Richard Woods: Ashley Langford, Chloe Graham, and Julianna Hayunga. A huge congratulations also goes to the FCCLA Advisor at OCHS, Mrs. Erin Just, for putting in a great deal of time preparing these students for competitions and providing guidance in chapter activities!
UNG Business Ethical Employability Program
On September 17, 2021 over fifty CTAE students from both Oconee County High School and North Oconee High School attended the Building Ethical Employability program sponsored by the University of North Georgia's BB&T Center for Ethical Leadership. CTAE students traveled to UNG to attend this high school program in ethics education which focuses on defining a personal brand, developing an official resume, understanding the ethical decision-making process with critical-thinking abilities, increasing awareness of ethical behavior in the workplace setting, and engaging students with peers on values based on choices through effective communication.
This high school program aligns with the GeorgiaBEST curriculum by addressing effective communication, critical thinking, and understanding the official resume. Participating students receive GeorgiaBEST employability certification.
Engineering Presents at Chamber of Commerce Power Hour
DECA WorkWinWow and Road Rally
DECA WorkWinWow
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. This Fall eight students from Oconee County High School DECA traveled to the FFA-FCCLA Center in Covington, GA for a day of teamwork and leadership development. WorkWinWow is a Local Officer Leadership Training Program where DECA Advisors and Local Chapter Officers from all over the state gathered for team building and collaboration activities. The officers were able to gather with other chapters to discuss membership building strategies, chapter goal development, social media promotions, and membership meeting activities. Fun was had by all!
DECA Road Rally
This year DECA took the Fall Rally on the Road to four different locations around the state. Oconee County DECA members traveled to Brookwood High School in Snellville, GA for dinner and fun activities to energize DECA members for the upcoming competitive season. Oconee DECA gathered with other DECA members from our area for thought provoking events and social games to gear everyone up and have the students RALLY together for DECA and what the club has to offer.
Health Science Programs Partner with Kindergarten Classes
HOSA Supports the Community
During the month of September, OCHS HOSA students worked together to prepare 90 goodie bags filled with candies, snacks and cards of gratitude! These goodie bags were distributed to healthcare workers at both St. Mary's and Piedmont!
Each year the HOSA organization at both North Oconee HS and Oconee County HS partner with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive at their school. These important events promote student leadership, community outreach, and most importantly allow for blood collection to reach the patients who need it most. Together, our schools collected 69 pints and 20 partial pints of blood!
OCMS Computer Science
From gaining an understanding of our digital footprint and what it means to be a responsible digital citizen to learning the importance of protecting ourselves and our information while interacting online, OCMS 6th grade students have been exploring collaborative interactions in a digital world. To help promote these issues, students developed posters focused on ending cyber-bullying, staying safe online, finding credible information on the Internet, and being a good digital citizen.