Career and Technical Education carves paths

[Marion County Public Schools]

As February is Career and Technical Education Month, students shared how Marion County CTE programs help them forge their future paths.

Marion CTE Coordinator Kathy Otte introduced two participating CTE students to share their different journeys in the program with the Marion County School Board during its Feb. 11 meeting.

“Students who complete a CTE Program have marketable work skills that can lead to careers or allow students to enter into post-secondary education with the prerequisite courses completed,” according to Marion CTE.

Dunnellon High School sophomore Emma Grace Duhs represented the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathway.

Duhs is the president of Marion County’s Future Farmers of America and is an ambassador of the Southeastern Youth Fair, an organization that “sparks passions for agriculture.”

Otte said this will be the 85^th fair, and it will occur at the end of February.

Duhs said she showed her first market steer at the fair when she was eight years old, and because of that experience, her passion for agriculture has grown stronger. Duhs said the fair is now the largest all-youth event in Florida.

“As we continue to add new contests and activities to our schedule, we give each and every child ages five through 18 an opportunity to find a place in the agricultural industry,” she said. “To add, the wide range of shows available to exhibitors helps youth in Marion County try something new and gain valuable experience along the way.”

Duhs said she and thousands of other attendees have made countless memories at the fair and the event has left a lasting mark on her life.

“I strongly encourage all of you to visit the Southeastern Youth Fair and see firsthand just how much of an impact agriculture is making all over our county,” Duhs said.

Belleview High School senior Lindsey Reimsnyder then discussed her time in the Culinary Arts program, part of the Hospitality CTE pathway.

“The CTE program grants students the ability to explore and embrace our personal interests outside of our core classrooms,” Reimsnyder said. She said students choose a pathway based on their own aspirations.

Reimsnyder’s goal is to be a world-renowned chef but said she had questions and doubts about the stepping stones to achieve it.

“However, it has proven to not be as impossible as I once thought due to the help, support and unconditional devotion of my culinary teacher and those within the industry,” she said.

Due to the CTE program, Reimsnyder said she has participated in competitions, networking and catering events—such as the Food and Wine Festival where she has met and worked beside famous chefs.

“To me, this has been a major contribution in solidifying my passion and has even gone as far as to somewhat redirect my path as I have now realized greater possibilities in this field,” she said. “In having one-on-one conversations with the celebrity chefs, it has been life-changing for me.”

From networking through Bellview, Reimsnyder got an internship with World Equestrian Center Chef and “rising Food Network star,” Yohann Le Bescond.

“To be honest, it would have been shocking to enter the industry without knowing, seeing or experiencing what I have been able to throughout my culinary program,” she said.

Reimsnyder thanked the organizations that brought her and other pathway students these opportunities, including the school board and the CTE department.

“To this day my traveled path is still somewhat surreal to me,” she said. “So, thank you for all you have done. It means more to me and all the students than can ever be expressed and hopefully, we can one day give back to the city that we grew up in.”

CTE Growth

Otte said 39 CTE pathways are offered within the school district, with programs available at every middle and high school in Marion County. Over 15,000 students are enrolled in a program, and 1,884 CAPE Industry Certifications were received last year.

A CAPE certification may count toward college credit and help students be more college and career-ready, according to the Florida Department of Education.

“Every year, we continue to grow those numbers thanks to our amazing teachers,” Otte said.