Connections Fall 2021

CONNECTIONS volume 20 | issue 2 |

Fall 2021

Student Orgs

forge Ahead

WorkKeys

ACT Included in State Accountability System ������������������� p. 4

Paths

Students Carve Career in Sports Videography ����������������������������������p. 24

CONNECTIONS volume 20 | issue 2 |

Fall 2021

CONTRIBUTORS Editor-in-Chief � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Dr. Aimee Brown Managing Editor � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Carl Smith Associate Editor � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Jean Cook Editor � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Heather Craig Designer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Amanda Gronewold Writers � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Will Graves Carl Smith Brock Turnipseed The contents of this magazine — including stories, photos and all other information — were submitted by their respective school districts or organizations unless otherwise noted.

ON THE COVER

Mantachie High School FFA members team up for a group activity during the 2021 state FFA convention. Pictured (left to right) are senior Trevor Strickland and juniors Jacob Jaggers, Caden Graham and Wesley Umfress.

T

he spirit of learning is comprised of trying, adapting and trying again, and nobody better embodies that spirit than Mississippi’s educators and students.

After an unprecedented ending to the 2019-2020 academic year, teachers and students both returned to the classroom the following school year ready to continue the process of learning, even though communities’ experiences were fluid and constantly changing due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

We’re taking the lessons learned from the early days of the pandemic and working hard to maintain safe learning environments in every academic classroom and workspace in Mississippi.

The first semester of the 2021-2022 academic year felt as close to a normal semester as we’ve had in a while, and we at the Mississippi Department of Education are hopeful it continues.

This issue of Connections spotlights how three schools’ student organizations forged ahead during this time of uncertainty to provide their members with insightful and meaningful learning opportunities. In Itawamba County, teachers organized their own SkillsUSA-styled competition for students in lieu of the statewide event (Page 8); Northeast Jones High School’s FFA chapter continued fundraising efforts for future events (Page 20); and HOSA — Future Health Professionals members at Petal High School developed new ways to implement hands-on learning experiences during the pandemic (Page 28).

There are other great stories in this issue, including features about how high school career and technical education experiences prepared graduates for college and career experiences in welding (Page 19) and videography (Page 24).

We also spotlight the inclusion of ACT WorkKeys into the state accountability system (Page 4) and how students across the state are participating in hands-on projects benefiting their communities (Page 7); receiving scholarships for future educational endeavors (Pages 19, 32) and credentials that make them more competitive for employment (Page 32); and honing their skills in new facilities (Pages 16, 34).

I’m proud of the commitment to education our teachers and administrators show every day. While life remains fluid, our world is improving. We will continue this trajectory by investing in and supporting our students.

Dr. Aimee Brown Director, Office of Career and Technical Education Mississippi Department of Education

WANT YOUR SCHOOL FEATURED IN CONNECTIONS?

We want to hear about your success stories, awards and program accomplishments!

Please submit your story ideas at www.rcu.msstate.edu/connections/shareyourstoryideas.

2 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

CONTENTS

Featured Areas

Measuring Career Readiness ����������������������� 4

ACT WorkKeys Included in State Accountability System

q PRCTC Students Build Playset for

Local Therapist ������������������������������������������������������7

q Moss Point TSA Members Shine at

State Competition ������������������������������������������������7

Adapting to Achieve ��������������������������������������8

Itawamba Educators ProvideLocal SkillsUSA Competition During Pandemic

q Starkville Students Tour Communiversity ��������� 11 q PGSD Celebrates Homegrown Teachers ��������� 12 q Clinton Students Attend LPS Camps in DC ��� 14 q Hatley Ag Program Included in National

Tractor Safety Program ������������������������������������� 15

Where There's Smoke ����������������������������������� 16

Richland Fire Academy Students Get RealWorld Experiences at New Training Facilities

q Tupelo Apprentice Welder Lends a Hand on

Veterans Memorial Statue �������������������������������� 19

Adapting to Achieve �����������������������������������20

Northeast Jones FFA Gets Creative After Disruptions

Lights! Camera! Action! ����������������������������� 24

Students Carve Career Paths in Sports Videography

Adapting to Achieve ����������������������������������� 28

Petal HOSA Prepares Future Health Professionals During Pandemic

q KACTC Receives NCCER Excellence Award � 31

q Ocean Springs Construction Students Earn

NCCER Credentials ����������������������������������������� 31

Graduate Spotlight ������������������������������������� 32

Vanessa Smith

q Palmer Receives First Brumbaugh

Lineman Scholarship ����������������������������������������� 32

Educator Spotlight �������������������������������������� 33

Kelly Cothern

q Neshoba County Opens Manufacturing,

Innovation Center �������������������������������������������� 34

q TVA Partnership Awards Itawamba CTC

STEM Grant ����������������������������������������������������� 35

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 3

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Measuring

CAREER READINESS

ACT WorkKeys Included in State Accountability System

O

Brock Turnipseed ne of the Mississippi State Board of Education’s (MSBE’s) primary goals is for every student to graduate high school ready for college and careers.

School districts previously measured college- and career-readiness by benchmarks on the English, reading and math components of the ACT. While the ACT measured a student’s college readiness, a tool to measure career readiness was also needed.

To address this need, the MSBE authorized the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to add the ACT 4 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

WorkKeys — a national assessment that measures those skills foundational for success in the workplace — to the state’s accountability system for school districts starting with the current academic year.

“Many communities in our state are ACT Work Ready Communities, so many of our businesses, industries and communities recognize WorkKeys as at least a measure — if not the measure — for career readiness,” said Wendy Clemons, the executive director of the MDE Office of Secondary Education and Professional Development.

WorkKeys tests measure three areas — workplace documents, applied math and graphic literacy — to determine the current skills of potential employees and their ability to learn job-specific skills.

An ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is issued at four levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze.

Many industries require potential employees to have at least a Silver-level WorkKeys designation. For the accountability model, districts earn points for students who earn Gold- or Platinumlevels alone or Silver combined with the

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Opposite page: Former Canton High School students (left to right) Kanosha Smith, Christopher Mayfield, Labroski Henry and Richard Shelton display their ACT WorkKeys Silver Award certificates during 2018 graduation ceremonies. As of September, approximately 59 of the state's 82 counties participate in the ACT Work Ready Communities Program.

Above: Montgomery Hinton, a Rankin County School District college- and career-readiness coordinator, leads a WorkKeys preparation exercise for Florence High School seniors in August.

“Many communities in our state are Work Ready Communities, so many of our businesses, industries and communities recognize WorkKeys as at least a measure — if not the measure — for career readiness.”

Wendy Clemons, executive director of the MDE Office of Secondary Education and Professional Development

completion of an industry certification or pathway.

Dr. Aimee Brown, the MDE's director of career and technical education (CTE),

said the emphasis on WorkKeys is vital for showing that the state’s education system is focused on industry needs.

“Our communities have said this is important because they want to be Work Ready Communities, and that's attractive to business and industry moving to the state,” she said. “It shows we know Work Ready Communities are important and our business and industry partners value WorkKeys.”

An ACT Work Ready Community commits to link workforce development to education; align with the economic development needs of the community, region and state; and match individuals to jobs based on skill levels.

As of September, 59 of the state’s 82 counties are participating in the Work Ready Communities program, with 49 achieving Work Ready Community certification. Additionally, more than 2,600

state employers support potential employe es having an ACT WorkKeys NCRC. Madison County was certified as an ACT Work Ready Community in 2019.

Lauren Scheel, the chief operating officer for the Madison County Economic Lauren Scheel Development Authority (MCEDA), said WorkKeys is mutually beneficial for both employers and potential employees in the county.

“It gives potential employees a special certification and the confidence to go to an employer and say, ‘I am employable,’” she said. “It also helps our existing industries when they are trying to recruit employees. It offers a level of confidence from both sides.”

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 5

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“We realize there’s a large portion of our students in the state that need something other than college to fall back on. When we talk about wanting students to be career ready, we have to give them WorkKeys as well because an ACT score might not necessarily help them go right to work.”

Dr. Aimee Brown, MDE director of CTE

Having WorkKeys as part of the accountability model should expose more students to the test, which will benefit industry because, as Scheel said, K-12 students are the future talent pipeline.

“The WorkKeys assessment allows businesses to go ahead and have a grasp on the skills of the future talent pipeline,” she said. “For employers, it gives them a sense of reassurance that who they’re looking to hire has the basic skills needed to be employable.”

MCEDA works with CTE centers throughout Madison County, and Scheel said it encourages students to work toward a WorkKeys certificate to get closer to meaningful employment.

Michael Ellis, Canton Career Center's CTE director, encourages his students to take the exam so they can be recognized at graduation and be more Michael Ellis marketable to industries regardless of whether they decide to pursue postsecondary education.

“We have to educate them on the seriousness of the test. Students don’t really understand how the test can benefit them. We are communicating to them how this test can benefit them in the long run,” he said.

6 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

Ellis previously spoke with Canton students who have taken WorkKeys, and he said the response was positive and they “are more prepared in terms of the job market with industry.”

Blais e King, Madison County Schools’ director of CTE and career academies, said WorkKeys provides a tangible result for taking the exam. In Blaise King Madison County, he said, individuals with a Silver credential or higher on the WorkKeys receive a guaranteed interview with some employers.

“There’s a way for students to see the benefit of taking the WorkKeys exams,” King said. “It is recognized, so when they go into an interview, they’re able to put it on their résumé. It makes them very marketable for future employers.”

Montgomery Hinton, a Rankin County School District college and career prep specialist, said his district administered WorkKeys to all juniors in the 2020-2021 school year. While there are big advantages for school districts on the accountability side, he said a positive push from industry will help students, especially those in CTE, see the benefit of the exam.

“There is absolutely every reason for CTE to do this. For them, WorkKeys

might be more important,” he said.

“When you see industries demand from schools that they develop a workforce pipeline that is ready, that’s going to help CTE. I think CTE is the biggest winner in this.”

Hinton, who compiled a comprehensive list of WorkKeys resources on his district’s website, said as WorkKeys continues to grow in the state, “you’re going to continue to see positive things happen that are going to have a huge impact.”

As WorkKeys grows, Brown said it is important to ensure students are just as prepared for a career as they are for college.

“We realize there’s a large portion of our students in the state that need something other than college to fall back on,” she said. “When we talk about wanting students to be career ready, we have to give them WorkKeys as well because an ACT score might not necessarily help them go right to work.”

Being part of the accountability model could expose more students to the WorkKeys exam, but Clemons hopes districts and students see the value in earning an ACT WorkKeys NCRC beyond the accountability points.

“We want WorkKeys to be an integral part of a child’s education, and that should be the purpose that it serves,” she said.

news & notes

PRCTC Students Build Playset for Local Therapist What started out as a need for KidSense, an occupational therapist in Pontotoc, turned into a project-based learning activity and a chance to give back to the community for students at Pontotoc Ridge Career and Technology Center (PRCTC) last semester.

Maegan Mills, an occupational therapist assistant at KidSense, brought a need to PRCTC instructor Amanda Wood: an indoor play set that would benefit children of all ages undergoing occupational therapy to improve their gross motor skills.

PRCTC students brainstormed ideas and designs for the project by researching play sets, safety and ergonomics.

After developing a general design, they constructed 3D models in SolidWorks and ordered supplies.

Carpentry and engineering students at Pontotoc Ridge Career and Technical Center pose next to a climbing structure they built for KidSense, a local occupational therapy group.

The Engineering class partnered with the Construction class to build a half-scale model. Students tested the design and made needed revisions before beginning construction of a fullscale structure.

The full construction took the two classes several months to complete.

Upon completion, the Early Childhood Education (ECE) class assessed the design for safety and reported concerns.

Engineering and carpentry students revised the structure to meet the safety guidelines given.

Following another complete and thorough inspection by ECE students, the project was complete.

PRCTC delivered the final product to KidSense in May, but students continue their investigation into the occupational therapy field.

Jha’Nea Shelby and Jazzmyne Touchet (first place, forensic science).

MTSA is the only career and technical student organization dedicated exclusively to students enrolled in middle and high school technology education courses. Students from across the state

competed in challenging activities that fostered personal growth and leadership development. The events included mechanical engineering, illustration, animation, construction, medical technology and public speaking.

Moss Point TSA Members Shine at State Competition Nine out of 10 Moss Point High School Technology Student Association (MPHSTSA) members placed among the top three winners of competitions in the 2021 Mississippi Technology Student Association (MTSA) State Conference held in March.

MPHSTSA members placing in the competition include freshmen KauWan Croon, Karsen “Jack” Hansford, Kamyah Love and Alannah McNally (third place, board game design); Destiney Tenner and Abbigael Thomas (first place, debating technology issues); Madison Jensen (third place, essays on technology); and

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 7

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Achieve

ADAPTING TO

Itawamba Educators Provide Local SkillsUSA Competition During Pandemic

W Will Graves

hen the COVID-19 pandemic first began, things changed quickly for students, parents, educators and administrators. For Mississippi’s

SkillsUSA organization, it became especially difficult to provide continuity of programs and activities when schools began implementing social distancing practices and virtual learning.

Educators, however, were up to the challenge to keep their students involved in the organization.

8 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

The move to virtual learning platforms was the biggest issue for many educators from the start of the pandemic. This was particularly impactful to SkillsUSA due to the large number of hands-on activities the organization provides to students, said Shanta Villanueva, the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE’s) director of student organizations and state SkillsUSA adviser.

“The virtual platform was one of the major problems that we experienced,” she said. “We were not prepared to do our

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Editor’s note: Student organizations are an integral part of career and technical education that provide many opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning and leadership development for students. By partnering with business and industry across the state, these organizations allow students to develop their skills and make meaningful connections with potential employers. This is the first of three stories documenting how student organizations continued as the COVID-19 pandemic affected activities.

Opposite page: Itawamba Career and Technical Center (ICTC) SkillsUSA members (left to right) Jennifer Guin, Hannah Moore, Haley Smith and Baylee Johnson write cards thanking local business and industry partners for their support of the organization.

Left: Rebecca Sheffield is recognized for becoming a member of ICTC’s SkillsUSA chapter during recruitment week activities.

Right: ICTC SkillsUSA chapter Treasurer Abigail Dunn (left) and Vice President Anthony Brown write thank-you cards to business and industry supporters during their officer retreat. conferences virtually, so many schools chose not to compete last year.

“SkillsUSA has a lot of hands-on competitions, so we were not able to get those competitions going,” Villanueva added. “Businesses and industries would not allow us to come on their campuses, and most students participate in skills competitions rather than the leadership competitions.”

With face-to-face events on hold, Villanueva knew the only way to provide opportunities to compete at the state level was through a virtual model, so officials updated the organization’s rules to accommodate virtual participation

and began utilizing Microsoft Teams as its virtual meeting platform.

Though the costs associated with virtual learning platforms are high, Villanueva said it was the right move to make. Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the organization held 15 virtual leadership development competitions with judges evaluating the projects live.

“In order for students to compete, I allowed them to compete from home.

If they can do it from home, they can go into a quiet area and set up their laptop to do their presentations. I tried to make it as competition-friendly as I could.

Students could set their phone or device

up for the event they were doing, such as the action skills or job skills demonstrations, where the judges could actually see them doing their projects live.”

While the types of statewide competitions were limited, the virtual events offered a way for students to still participate in leadership competitions.

Locally, however, some teachers managed to modify their SkillsUSA chapters’ programs to continue building skills and reinforcing students’ classroom learning.

Though participation numbers across the state generally decreased due to the pandemic, the SkillsUSA chapter at Itawamba Career and Technical Center Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 9

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Top: During a successful inaugural recruitment week, ICTC recognizes students for joining SkillsUSA. Front row (left to right): Abigail Dunn, Chloe Hutcheson, Alyssa Steele and Cameron Rauch. Back row (left to right): Tanner Coleman, Alonzo Holliman, Luke Robinson, Will Webb, Caleb Murrell and Logan Robinson.

Bottom: ICTC SkillsUSA recognizes a group of new members during the 2020-2021 school year’s recruitment week. Front row (left to right): Hannah Moore, Balie Caples, Kayle Barber and Baylee Johnson. Back row (left to right): Anthony Brown, Teagan Adams, Connor Moore, Jennifer Guin, Haley Smith and Tyler Sullivant.

(ICTC) saw growth in enrollment and participation from both students and community members, and the chapter even held its own local skills competitions so students could still compete in those pathways.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, advisers for the ICTC SkillsUSA chapter had big plans to finally build up a fully active organization, complete with a full team of officers, official bylaws and a plan of activities. Those plans, however, seemed to change in an instant when the pandemic caused modified class schedules and SkillsUSA event cancellations. Deana Patterson, ICTC’s work-based learning instructor and 10 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

SkillsUSA chapter co-adviser, worked together with other co-advisers to create a plan of action that kept students active in the organization.

“At first, we wondered how we would make this happen,” she said. “The year right before the pandemic, we planned to be active, participate in service-learning projects, volunteer activities and to try to get our students to go through each of the six SkillsUSA programs of work. When COVID-19 came, we could not leave campus and had a hybrid schedule. We had to figure out how to offer this to our students.”

Last year, the national SkillsUSA organization began a recruitment

initiative to teach students about the organization and grow membership.

ICTC SkillsUSA advisers decided hosting recruitment activities at their school would be the best way to start connecting with potential members. The events were a huge success.

“We held activities each day during recruitment week, and we introduced the organization to our students,” Patterson said. “By the end of the week, our students were really excited. They wanted to go to competitions, and they wanted to participate in service-learning projects. We ran into problems as the pandemic dragged on, however.”

As plans for regional- and state-level competitions changed, Patterson and other co-advisors shared concerns about competing virtually. With no hands-on competitions available, they planned for local competitions at their school so students could still compete and hone their skills.

“We decided to host an in-house competition, and it went fantastic,” she said. “Our community got behind us, and we had multiple sponsors who

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donated career-specific prizes, as well as trophies. We held the hands-on competitions out in the shop and outdoor areas. Overall, the competitions were fantastic, and the kids had a ball. We had multiple sponsors for each of the different SkillsUSA pathways.”

ICTC SkillsUSA members participated in various skills competitions, including welding, collision repair, automotive service and health science, as well as a job interview competition that showcased their leadership skills. This

event truly was a community effort with many community and business supporters, and all ICTC staff helped with the event.

While the pandemic brought on many challenges for CTE student organizations, local SkillsUSA chapters still found innovative ways to adapt and provide students with those valuable learning and networking opportunities.

Mississippi SkillsUSA planned for the return of face-to-face regional and state events this fall.

Looking back at the last school year, Villanueva credited teachers for their adaptability and desire to start a new school year with involvement in the organization’s activities.

“Overall, the biggest success that I had from this experience was the teachers’ willingness to come back this year,” she said. “To me, that’s a success story because they lost a lot of their audience. It’s hard to recruit students, but teachers are doing great work this year to keep them involved.” news & notes

Starkville Students Tour Communiversity Numerous Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District career and technical education students toured East Mississippi Community College’s Communiversity this spring and learned about the school’s ability to prepare workers for advanced manufacturing careers.

Clockwise, from top: • Students arrive at East Mississippi Community College’s (EMCC’s) Communiversity for a spring semester tour of the facility dedicated to training students for careers in advanced manufacturing.

• Students receive an overview of the engineering technology, drafting and design program offered at the Communiversity by instructor Ray Hollis (right).

• Students tour one of the Communiversity’s electric labs.

• EMCC Machining instructor Stephen Malone (right) explains how fiberglass-like materials are used to build aircraft parts in the composite manufacturing program.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 11

news & notes

PGSD Celebrates Homegrown Teachers

Pascagoula-Gautier School District’s Teacher Academy held a celebration this fall to honor 23 former students of the program who are now either teachers or assistant teachers throughout the district.

Since 2012, instructor Erika Reynolds has guided students through the process of deciding if the teaching profession was the right pathway for them through the Grow Your Own initiative. With partnerships through William Carey University and the University of Southern Mississippi, students who are obtaining their teaching license can now work for and be paid by the school district as they pursue higher education.

Pascagoula-Gautier School District Teacher Academy instructor Erika Reynolds (second row, second from left) is surrounded by students she taught and mentored through the years. Also pictured are Kaitlyn Cannette, a Teacher Academy intern at Central Elementary; Alecea Price, a Trent Lott Academy teacher assistant; Jenny Gutherz, a Gautier High School teacher assistant; Meg Corlew, a Teacher Academy intern at Beach Elementary; Keyana Reed, a Teacher Academy intern at Arlington Elementary; Melanie Verrett, a Beach Elementary first grade teacher; Ella Pitts, a Beach Elementary assistant teacher; Brittany Coulter, a Jackson Elementary second grade teacher; Tariyah Green, a Teacher Academy intern at Jackson Elementary; Chandler Neese, a Martin Bluff Elementary teacher assistant; Shannon Binder, an Eastlawn Elementary teacher assistant; Annie Sossaman, a Lake Elementary teacher assistant; Ayreaunna Pirtle, a Teacher Academy intern at College Park Elementary; Ty'Shae Herndon, a Teacher Academy intern at Cherokee Elementary; and Makayla Lee, an Arlington Elementary teacher assistant. Not pictured are Anna Dobrowski, an Eastlawn Elementary second grade teacher; Jordyn Leverette, a College Park Elementary teacher assistant; Gracie McCormack, a Jackson Elementary teacher assistant; and Shakira Ashford, a Singing River Academy teacher assistant.

12 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

We can’t tell your CTE story until you tell us your

story

Want to have your students, program or career and technical center spotlighted in Connections? Here’s how:

1

4

IDENTIFY a new CTE activity, community service project or cutting-edge method of delivering instruction in your own classroom, school or district you feel should be shared across the state.

SHARE

the release and photos with us via helpdesk@rcu.msstate.edu. Be sure to include “Connections” and your school district’s/CTC’s name in the subject line, and contact information for yourself or the class/program teacher and links to your district’s and school’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in the body of the email.

2

DOCUMENT

what’s happening in the classroom with pictures of teachers, students and professionals working together. Be sure to only photograph students who have returned signed photo release forms to the school district.

3

COMPOSE

a press release with information about the activity or event. Well-written press releases and photo information blurbs answer the five Ws of communication: who, what, when, where and why.

From there, our staff will reach out to possibly develop and publish your story!

There is no deadline for submissions, as our staff can publish your work on our Connections website and to social media at any time.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 13

news & notes

Clinton Students Attend LPS Camps in DC Two Clinton High School (CHS) students used their summer break to do more than recharge their batteries.

Juniors Destiny Carpenter and Casey Wright spent part of their break in Washington, D.C., to further their individual educational experiences in the law and public safety (LPS) realm.

Carpenter, who spent 10 days enrolled in the Youth Leadership Program (YLP) hosted by the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), said the experience challenged her mentally and physically.

“Along with the numerous leadership classes we attended, we had the chance to experience a truly hands-on approach of what recruits in the FBI do during their training,” she said.

Her days started at 5 a.m. with physical training to prepare her for the program’s final physical challenge, the Yellow Brick Road.

“For FBI recruits, the Yellow Brick Road is a 6-mile Marine Corps obstacle course they must complete in order to graduate,” Carpenter said. “For us, it was a 4.25-mile all-terrain run with numerous obstacles to overcome as a team in order for us to graduate from the camp.”

Wright also spent a week in Washington, D.C., attending the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Law and CSI. He said the information attendees were exposed to allowed them to develop a deeper understanding of the forensics field as well as a broadened appreciation for leadership training.

“I was in the CSI branch at the camp,” he said, “so we did a lot of hands-on forensics in the lab — looking at blood analysis, hair samples and fingerprints and serving in a couple of mock trials.”

14 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

Clinton High School juniors Destiny Carpenter (right) and Casey Wright spent the summer honing their law and public safety-related skills at camps in Washington, D.C. Like Carpenter, Wright participated in leadership building exercises and heard from speakers, including retired FBI agent John Douglas, one of the bureau’s first criminal profilers.

For admittance, both programs required enrollees to demonstrate high academic standards in the classroom and good citizenship in their communities.

Wright was nominated for the NYLF camp by former LPS instructor Jeff Franks, and Carpenter applied for the FBINAA YLP following encouragement from current LPS instructor Al Kimbrell.

The duo said their time spent inside Clinton classrooms had them more than prepared to interact with fellow students from around the country.

“Our LPS instructors at CHS taught us how important it is to work together in teams,” Wright said. “And from the LPS side of things, I wouldn’t have known most of what was being

discussed if I had not taken LPS with Mr. Franks last year.”

“It was great to meet new people,” Carpenter added. “Right from the start, we were all talking and starting to develop those bonds that only grew stronger after we participated in numerous team-building exercises. I still talk to many of my friends I made this summer.”

Carpenter said attending the program challenged her physically and mentally.

“With our busy schedules beginning so early in the morning and our schedules having so much packed in, we realized it wasn’t going to be easy,” she said. “We just had to get used to it. And as we progressed, we encouraged each other to build ourselves up for the final Yellow Brick Road challenge.”

“I worked mainly in the CSI field,” Wright added, “so trying to convey information to the law side was challenging. The lawyers were always questioning our findings, trying to get us to slip up in how we reported our analysis, so we had to make sure we knew how to properly convey accurate information.”

Aside from growing as individuals, the two said the camps encouraged them to continue exploring career opportunities inside LPS. “I would highly encourage anyone to participate in the FBINAA Youth Leadership Program,” Carpenter said.

“Although it’s centered around LPS, it’s a great chance for students to learn leadership skills while also exploring more of what it takes to be an FBI agent.”

“Just being exposed to various aspects of the career field is worth anyone attending NYLF,” Wright added. “It truly was a great experience that allowed me to learn so much about the career field.”

news & notes

Hatley Ag Program Included in National Tractor Safety Program Ray Van Dusen, Monroe Journal Because of Hatley High School’s (HHS’s) inclusion in a program through the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) in partnership with the University of Kentucky (UK), a couple of Monroe County tractor owners will have more safety assurance while operating their equipment.

HHS agriculture teacher Kaitlynn Mynatt is among nine agriculture educators throughout the U.S. participating in the 2021-2022 educator cohort of the Cost-effective Rollover Protection System (CROPS) program, which is aimed at combating tractor rollover fatalities throughout the Appalachian and Mississippi Delta regions.

“For this first year, they gave us all the materials and all the metal to make rollover bars for certain model older tractors. The reason I got this was because Hatley’s in a county that generally has lower income, so generally smaller farmers and ranchers have smaller, older tractors, like the Ford 3000 and Ford 4000, and that’s really what we can put those rollover bars on,” Mynatt said.

According to a press release about the CROPS program, the experiential learning curriculum focuses on agricultural mechanics and safety. Each educator participated in an annual professional development event this summer in Tennessee. The CROPS team trained teachers on the curriculum and the fabrication process for constructing a CROPS. “They gave us all the materials, metal, new tractor seats and seat belts. The system, once we put it on, has a really high percentage that if it does roll over

Posing with members of the Cost-effective Rollover Protection System program team are teachers of the 2021-2022 educator cohort: Kaitlynn Mynatt (Hatley High School); Marshall Streit (Cass Career Center, Harrisonville, Missouri), Pete Bennett (Jenkins County High, Millen, Georgia), Travis Allred (Danville High School, Danville, Alabama), Ben Kohnle (South Caldwell High School, Hudson, North Carolina), Justin Reynolds (Buford High School, Lancaster, South Carolina), Ben Prewitt (Clinton County High School, Albany, Kentucky), Susan Hilleary (Fauquier High School, Warrenton, Virginia) and Terry Hauser (Preston High School, Kingwood, West Virginia). and you have your seat belt on and that rollover bar is up, you’ll survive if you’re in a rollover accident,” Mynatt said.

Even with HHS going virtual through most of August due to COVID-19 cases, students in her Agriculture II class were able to learn basic lessons ahead of hands-on work.

“Students need to know basic math and how to convert fractions and decimals. Then they start reading and getting into blueprints and how to take basic raw materials and read the blueprint and figure out how to build that certain part. Once the part is built, most will have to be precision cut, either with a band saw, chop saw or torch. We’ll also have to use a drill press to drill certain holes,” she said, adding welding is also involved in the process.

Two local tractor owners are participating in the first year of the program,

and a UK engineering professor — a certified engineer and welding inspector — will use an ultrasound to inspect the rollover bars to make sure they meet specifications.

Two sophomores, a junior and a senior in the class are working on the rollover bars this school year. Mynatt said a grant covers all costs for this year’s program, but materials would have to be purchased by tractor owners in following years.

The CROPS program started in 2013 in Kentucky agricultural science education programs. Students in CROPS programs have built more than 150 rollover bars for tractors. The CROPS program has tripled in size to include 10 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 15

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WHERE THERE'S

Smoke

Richland Fire Academy Students Get Real-World Experiences at New Training Facilities

F

Carl Smith uture firefighters have a new, cutting-edge environment in which to hone their skills and receive

facility housing the state’s first-of-its-

to a large bay door. The entire project

kind high school Fire Academy. The

represents a $615,000 investment by

Academy Building hosts a 3,200-square

RCSD and was funded by a 2017 bond

real-world training and experiences at

foot space — also known as the Bay

issuance.

Rankin County School District (RCSD).

— mimicking the traditional layout,

“Having this facility is a tremendous

This year, Richland High School

setup and inventory of a fire station,

asset for our students. They’re gaining

opened a shared, multi-disciplinary

from lockers for classroom equipment

firsthand knowledge of what it’s like

16 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

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to be a firefighter at the high school level. When they graduate, they’ll be prepared to go to the Mississippi State Fire Academy (MSFA). They’ll have an advantage over their peers because they already have the skills they need to be successful. They’ll also be prepared for other first responder jobs, too, because the class teaches many transferable skills,” said Dr. Cassondra Vanderford, who leads RCSD’s career and technical education programs. “The City of Ridgeland is a great partner with our school, and that partnership is tremendous for our students.”

The Bay can currently support 41 students, and Capt. Micah Sanford, a 17-year veteran of the Richland Fire Department (RFD) who teaches the class, said he hopes to procure a firetruck simulator — the frame of a firetruck

that will sit in the facility for handson student practice — in the future.

Additionally, the RHS Fire Academy features three 40-foot shipping containers — also known as CONEX boxes — in which students practice search and rescue operations in blackout conditions Sanford said “gets them as close to the MSFA experience as possible.”

“We’re using them to simulate structures and scenarios they might face as firefighters,” he said, noting the combined square footage of the CONEX boxes are comparable to an average, single-family detached home. “Can they work with real fire? No. We can, however, take them to live-fire exercises conducted by professionals. We’re looking to get a digital fire system, though, that will have simulated smoke and fire.

Opposite page: Lockers and turndown equipment are pictured in Rankin County School District’s (RCSD’s) new Fire Academy space within Richland High School’s Academy Building.

The multi-disciplinary facility hosts a 3,200-square-foot space for future firefighters to experience real-life simulations ahead of attending the Mississippi State Fire Academy.

Above: The Academy Building’s firefighter training space — also known as the Bay — mimics the traditional layout, setup and inventory of a fire station, from lockers for classroom equipment to a large bay door. Capt. Micah Sanford, a 17-year veteran of the Richland Fire Department who teachers the class, said he hopes to procure a firetruck simulator for students in the future.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 17

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The RHS Fire Academy also features three 40-foot shipping containers — also known as CONEX boxes — in which students practice search and rescue operations in blackout conditions.

It produces visuals that look exactly like a real structure fire.”

RCSD’s fire science program started in 2016 as an after-school program and moved into the RHS Career Discovery classroom the following year. RFD looked to hire program completers as a way to create a pipeline of somewhatexperienced workers, Sanford said, for the about-30-person department.

“The principal at the time thought this would be a good program to have inside the classroom. The class was successful, but we realized we needed our own classroom if we wanted to do things the right way,” he said. “The bond issue came along, and there was talk of adding onto our school. That’s when our opportunity came.”

Since the program’s launch, RFD hired one student, Sanford said, and a 18 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

few others now work for other area fire departments. Because the class teaches transferable emergency skills, other students found employment opportunities in other first responder-related professions: a completer was scheduled to enroll in the state’s police academy this fall, and another became a full-time emergency medical technician (EMT).

“Not everyone can be a firefighter, and not everyone can be an EMT. As a teacher, you learn personalities and traits, and then you encourage students to follow their interests,” he said. “Each year, we have one or two students who decide to go into the fire service or into the emergency medical service. We’ve had a few join the military, too, and they said they did so because we convinced them they’d be good at it. We always tell them: ‘Go do it.’”

Pablo Vaca, an RHS junior in his second year of the fire science program, said his general interest in emergency services led him to sign up for the class.

He said he hopes to gain a knowledge base for entry into the career field.

“It will be nice being one step ahead of the game when it comes to getting a position in the field,” said Vaca, who would be the first in his family to become a firefighter if he chooses to join the profession. “My favorite part [of class] is being around [firetrucks]. We’ve been able to actually learn how to pump the trucks as if we are at a fire scene.

“I’ve also enjoyed spending time working with the ladder truck,” he added. “Up 110 feet in the air is quite a view.”

news & notes

Tupelo Apprentice Welder Lends a Hand on Veterans Memorial Statue Eric Lundin, The FABRICATOR Photos courtesy of Kimberly Terrell, Precision Machine and Metal Fabrication

Some ideas take time to mature, especially when the idea is a public art project like a sculpture or a memorial. The idea is fleshed out to become a plan, proposals are solicited, a project is selected, funds are raised and so on.

A joint committee formed by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion previously asked the City of Ripley to donate land for a veterans park, and the mayor and city council endorsed the plan and set aside the land for it.

Just a couple years before all this was put into motion, then-middle schooler Madison Martin was introduced to welding in nearby Tupelo.

She had enrolled in Tek2Go, an advanced-manufacturing camp sponsored in part by Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, a fundraising organization affiliated with Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA). Martin’s participation in Tek2Go sparked an interest in welding, and she later enrolled in Tupelo Public School District’s two-year Sparks fly as former Tupelo High School student, welding program.

Precision Machine and Metal Fabrication apprentice The veterans memorial project and Martin’s nascent career crossed and Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs manufacturing camp paths at 1000 S. Green St. in Tupelo, the address of Precision Machine attendee Madison Martin works in a welding shop. and Metal Fabrication. The company offered Martin an 11-hour-perweek internship; it also landed a contract to build a 20-foot-tall sculpture of a saluting soldier to adorn the Tippah County Veterans Memorial. Martin spent the first few weeks of the internship programming a CNC machine to cut parts for an elevator, and she also learned some of the finer points of welding aluminum. When the time came, she was eager for a chance to work on the statue.

Martin credits Precision Machine and Metal Fabrication for the opportunity to work on the statue, her high school welding teacher for getting her to this point in her welding experience and the Tupelo Housing Authority’s career program, Reaching Economic Self-Sufficiency by Accessing Career Opportunities From Home, for exposure to a few career possibilities.

Martin enrolled in the welding program at Itawamba Community College's (ICC's) Tupelo campus this fall. And while many students were setting foot on a college campus for the first time, Martin was returning to ICC, where she was first introduced to welding in the Tek2Go program.

A career in welding wasn’t the only one she considered, Martin said. She Precision Machine and Metal Fabrication also thought about pursuing occupational therapy and machine programming.

General Manager Gabe Boykin (left) and Welding wasn’t her only option, but it became her choice.

Martin pose at the business. Martin worked “Welding was my first passion,” she said. on a veterans memorial project for the company as an apprentice, and she credits Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the August 2021 issue of The the internship for forming the foundation of FABRICATOR, a publication part of FMA Communications Inc. of Elgin, Illinois. her career in welding.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 19

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Achieve

ADAPTING TO

Northeast Jones FFA Gets Creative After Disruptions

F

Will Graves or many Mississippi FFA Association members and advisers, spring is typically filled with preparation.

They use this time to study, practice and perfect their knowledge and skills; they have hopes of progressing to compete in career-development events and leadership-development events at the annual Mississippi FFA State Convention in early summer.

Spring 2020, however, was not your typical season.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting education, decisions had to be made about how to provide modified 20 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

educational opportunities while keeping students and teachers healthy and safe. With the National FFA Organization being intracurricular to agricultural education, local advisers sought guidance from Mississippi FFA leadership within the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).

“It was challenging for the advisers who wait for the state office to offer events,” said Jill Wagner, the MDE program supervisor for agricultural education and state FFA. “There was a period where no state-level events were offered in person.”

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Editor’s note: Student organizations are an integral part of career and technical education that provide many opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning and leadership development for students. By partnering with business and industry across the state, these organizations allow students to develop their skills and make meaningful connections with potential employers. This is the second of three stories documenting how student organizations continued as the COVID-19 pandemic affected activities.

Opposite page: Northeast Jones High School (NJHS) FFA members are pictured giving out presents on the last day of school before Christmas break in 2020. Pictured (from left to right) are sophomore Emillee Hembree, graduate Kennedie Clark, graduate Jamie Mayo, senior Bri Fenton, senior Brooke Moore, senior Bri Middleton, senior Kendall Myrick, senior Karley Cotten and graduate Ethan Cook.

Left: NJHS sophomore and FFA member Adyn Myrick cuts a piece of wood to complete a cornhole board project in the past academic year. Though they could not travel to events, club members built custom cornhole boards to raise money for the future.

Center: NJHS senior FFA member Dalton Breland works on a sewing project while learning about agricultural business and fiber production in the past academic year. NJHS FFA members completed a variety of sewing projects for fundraising and presented local first responders with gifts of appreciation.

Right: Bri Fenton, a NJHS senior and FFA member, holds up a completed window cover. Students made the covers at the request of teachers.

One of the biggest challenges for Wagner was deciding how to handle the 87th-annual state convention, the organization’s largest state-level event, which at the time had never been canceled or held virtually.

“In considering that we didn't even know if schools would go back into normal classes, the hard decision to host a virtual convention just had to be made,” she said. “It came down to celebrating members and their

achievements virtually or doing nothing. People underestimated the expense and work that goes into a virtual event, but it was good to see there are options.”

Even though it took Mississippi FFA longer to adjust to the virtual event platform than other state associations that already had such technology infrastructure in place, agricultural education and FFA leaders from across the country came together to share knowledge on making the transition.

“Changing to virtual was a completely new experience,” Wagner said. “It was hard not to focus on the what-ifs and just decide. There came a point that the board of directors and I could no longer worry about the unknowns so decisions could be made about what we knew.

State FFA staffs across the country were making the same decisions and sharing a wealth of information at every step.”

The rapidly evolving pandemic and onslaught of event cancellations led Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 21

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Top left: Katelyn Walters (left), a Wayne County High School graduate and FFA state reporter, and Newton County High School senior Regan Hand (center), who serves as FFA state treasurer, brainstorm ideas with their group members in a leadership workshop at the 2021 Mississippi FFA State Convention in June.

This was the first in-person convention since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top right: Former National FFA Organization Western Region Vice President Jason Wetzler (center) joins Mississippi FFA members as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at the 88th annual state FFA convention held in Starkville.

Bottom left: Faith Sullivan (standing), a Mize Attendance Center senior and former Mississippi Junior FFA Association state reporter, facilitates a leadership workshop for FFA members at the 2021 state convention.

22 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

many local advisers to get creative with their plans to keep students involved. Wagner said she was impressed with the response of ag teachers across the state and their willingness to be classroom innovators by adapting FFA activities to be compatible with a new environment of modified class schedules, mask wearing and social distancing.

“It was exciting to watch local advisers figure out what they could do given the specific parameters of their school,” she said. “Ag students spent an enormous amount of time in the shops, greenhouses and outdoor learning spaces. Ag teachers were also innovative in making videos and offering one-on-one or small-group lab time for those students experiencing virtual learning.”

At Northeast Jones High School’s (NJHS’s) FFA chapter, agriculture teachers and FFA chapter advisers Ashley Ivy and Logan Dale did not let the pandemic slow down their program of activities. When the pandemic first began, they faced the same uncertainties as other educators. There was always the looming question of how they would make FFA activities work, and they both knew how hard it would be to see the plans come to fruition.

“It was really a struggle to figure out how we were going to adapt to this new schedule,” Ivy said. “We were all kinds of scared coming back because we didn’t know what all was out there.”

Whether they had students in the shop, the greenhouse or the classroom, there were plenty of fun projects happening all the time. With mask usage now common, Ivy decided to introduce sewing activities to her agricultural

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FFA members got busy. One of their popular items to make and sell was a set of cornhole boards, and with their new sewing machines, they also made beanbags to go with the game boards.

Students also raised money by building custom belt buckle display cases, many of which were given as prizes at area livestock shows.

Though limited in what they could do and where they could go, NJHS FFA members stayed motivated as they navigated the changes that came with the Alcorn Central High School FFA members mingle in the grand foyer of The Mill at MSU conference center as they wait to take their seats for one of the main sessions of state convention in June. Pictured (left to right) are freshman Elle Clayton, sophomore Mattie Mynatt, senior Faith Marvel, sophomore Lynden Markle and junior Harley Markle.

pandemic. They remained active in the

fiber production and agriculture business students. After reaching out to her community on Facebook, the group had local supporters donate sewing machines so students could get in touch with their creative side while learning about agricultural fiber and the textile industry.

Students started out by using simple sewing patterns, eventually finding out what types of projects were easy to learn.

They made window covers for teachers, stuffed animals and pillows. The students even worked on a special project in which they made pillows for local first responders.

“We had a community member donate fabric, and I thought it would be great to make some pillows to present to our law enforcement,” Ivy said.

“We made a pillow for a firefighter and one for our police chief, and the kids all wrote thank-you cards to show our appreciation for their service. This was a

the 2020-2021 school year.

really fun activity that got the kids to be creative while learning and giving back to first responders.”

While many schools held fewer activities, the NJHS group forged ahead. The agriculture teachers stayed on top of pandemic-related developments, made changes when necessary and, above all, stayed flexible. Even though trips to FFA events were canceled, Ivy said that did not stop them from raising money. In fact, the chapter had one of its most successful fundraising years ever.

“I know some schools had tighter restrictions, but our program was fortunate to have never really shut down,” she said. “We were able to do a lot, and we never stopped fundraising. We decided that if field trips would not be possible, we would keep raising money to get a head start for funding the next year’s activities.”

To raise money in preparation for future in-person FFA activities, NJHS

classroom and their communities, continued building up the chapter’s finances to save for the future and were ultimately rewarded at the culmination of After dealing with all the impacts of the pandemic on FFA activities, the 2021 state convention made a remarkable return as a face-to-face event. The 88thannual convention was held in June, and FFA members, advisers and supporters were surprised with a venue change as well, with the event taking place at the Mill at MSU in Starkville. Wagner said although difficult to plan, it was important to make this a special event for FFA members' return.

“It was incredibly challenging to take a group of state officers who had only been together one time prior to convention prep and pull this off,” she said. “We were committed to making this happen for the members and making it memorable. The venue was perfect for meeting the need in a short period of time and showed the officers and advisors that it was OK to do things differently.”

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 23

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LIGHTS!

Camera! ACTION!

Students Carve Career Paths in Sports Videography

S

Brock Turnipseed ome of the greatest moments in sports history are etched in our memories because of video. With the evolution of media, including social media, television and streaming, videography has become even more important to the sports industry.

Jae’Lawn Green and Emma Harrington initially did not set out for careers in sports videography, but the skills they learned in high school helped them find success in the industry.

Green aspired for a career in health care after participating in the health 24 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

science pathway at Meridian Public School District’s Ross Collins Career and Technical Center (RCCTC), but an introduction to sports videography as a student at the University of Mississippi led to a video position with the National Football League’s (NFL’s) Tennessee Titans.

Harrington had visions of pursuing theater or engineering, but joining Madison Central High School’s (MCHS’s) multimedia and communications career academy sparked a passion for sports that continues as

a student worker in the University of Mississippi’s award-winning Ole Miss Sports Productions.

CTE Teaches Green to “Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable” After playing in the Ole Miss band his first year in Oxford, Green wanted to try a new gameday experience. A friend suggested he look at the video staff that filmed and edited game film for the Rebels’ football team. That experience led him to put career aspirations

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Opposite page: Former Ross Collins Career and Technical Center (Meridian Public School District) student Jae’Lawn Green (left) and Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons observe drills at a Titans practice in Nashville, Tennessee. Simmons played at Noxubee County High School (Noxubee County School District) in Macon and Mississippi State University before being drafted 19th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Photo credit: Donald Page, Tennessee Titans Team Photographer/Visual Asset Manager

Right: Green poses for a graduation photograph inside the University of Mississippi’s Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center.

Photo credit: DeArrius Rhymes, High Quality Productions LLC

in health care administration on hold to pursue a video position with the Titans.

“I figured what better time to do it than right now after graduating from college with the experience I gained from working with the Ole Miss football program,” Green said.

His role with the Titans includes filming practices and games, editing and logging the footage for coaches and players and providing technical support with the organization’s video systems.

While he has assigned tasks, the sports industry can be unpredictable, he said, necessitating the need to “be comfortable being uncomfortable,” a lesson he learned at RCCTC. During clinicals, he could be in the emergency room one day and the labor and delivery unit the next. Each presented its own challenges, necessitating the ability to think quickly when unexpected issues arise.

“I grew, learned more about myself and stepped out of my comfort zone when I was in health science,” Green said. “It helps with critical thinking skills because you have to think on the spot and be prepared for anything. It's similar working for an NFL program. I have

my daily duties that stay the same, but if something goes wrong — say one of the programs we use to get the coaches’ film goes down — we have to think quickly and do anything we can to get the systems back up and running.”

Making sure coaches and players have what they need to be successful means the Titans’ video staff must be a cohesive unit, similar to what he learned through health science and competing with a partner in HOSA — Future Health Professionals (HOSA), the health science pathway’s student organization.

“Health science and HOSA were all about learning to work with others. If you can get help from someone else, you should because a lot of jobs take more than one person. For an entire roster of players and a full staff of coaches, it takes a team,” Green said.

Devra Massey, Green’s former health science teacher who is now a school nurse at Northeast Lauderdale Middle School, saw Green mature into a leader who helped his peers prepare for HOSA competitions.

“I feel like it made him be a leader and made him step up,” Massey said.

“Once you gave him that responsibility

Green celebrates his graduation from the University of Mississippi under the entrance to the Walk of Champions in Oxford. Green joined the Titans’ video staff after serving as a student worker for the Rebels’ football video staff.

Photo credit: DeArrius Rhymes, High Quality Productions LLC

in a leadership role, he really excelled in helping others and teaching them to be successful.”

Massey said Green would be an asset to the health care community, but the soft skills he learned in health Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 25

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science would translate to success in any career path.

“I always saw him setting a goal, reaching for that goal and completing it,” she said. “It makes me so happy that he has accomplished so much, and it’s his work ethic that has gotten him here.”

RCCTC Director Rob Smith said Green is an example of how career and technical education (CTE) offers skills that allow students to be successful regardless of their career path.

“With CTE, there's this constant theme of preparing you for your future and workplace skills,” Smith said.

“Industry is telling us they need a certain subset of skills, and regardless of what program you're in, whether it’s at Ross Collins or any CTE program, you're going to get those attributes.”

Green advises younger students pursuing CTE to “always learn from your experiences.”

26 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

“I learned so much about health care that is helpful, but I also learned various life skills — teamwork, leadership and critical thinking skills — that are helpful in many different fields,” he said.

Harrington Takes Love of Storytelling to the Sidelines Harrington planned to enter MCHS’s engineering career academy and follow her parents’ career path, but exposure to the multimedia and communications career academy showed her she could take a lifelong passion for theater and translate it to the screen and the sports industry.

David Cress, Harrington’s history and high-tech video production instructor and current director of career academies and innovative programs for the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), said he saw Harrington “bursting at the seams to do something to show her talent” after she saw the

Left: Former Madison Central High School (MCHS) multimedia and communications career academy student Emma Harrington stands on the sideline at the University of Mississippi’s (UM's) Vaught-Hemingway Stadium prior to the Rebels’ Oct. 9 game against the University of Arkansas. A sophomore at UM, Harrington is a student assistant videographer for Ole Miss Sports Productions.

Above: Harrington captures video of an Ole Miss football game at VaughtHemingway Stadium for Ole Miss Sports Productions. content being produced through the multimedia and communications career academy.

The career academy — an innovative education model that combines academic and CTE courses to help students be college and career ready — allowed her to tap into her knowledge of acting, set design and costuming while exposing her to other areas of production, including cinematography and editing.

Students shot and produced content for the Jaguars’ various sporting events as part of their academy classes, and she was hooked from the first time she covered a game from the sideline.

“It was so much fun. I started to love sports because the sideline perspective

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Left: Harrington (right) records an interview with former MCHS quarterback Jimmy Holiday for the school’s multimedia and communications career academy.

Right: Harrington (right) interviews former MCHS head football coach Anthony Hart as part of the school's multimedia and communications career academy. is completely different and humanizes the athletes,” Harrington said. “I would have never known this kind of digital content creation was an option without the academy courses. I wouldn't be working where I am now and absolutely loving what I do now.”

Even though her focus was shifting toward sports, her theater background still served her well in putting together content for MCHS athletics and now various sports at Ole Miss.

“There’s a certain level of storytelling and theatrics to any sport, especially football,” Josh Stanford, Harrington’s English and broadcast journalism teacher and a program supervisor in MDE’s Office of CTE, said. “She got really good at being able to take a football game and tell the story through these short videos she was putting out each week.”

Harrington’s career academy experience exposed her to more than just sports. It allowed her to interview Gov. Tate Reeves, put her between Fox News and CNN at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and gave her the tools to create a

documentary about the plane crash that claimed the lives of members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The training she received in her career academy helped her earn numerous awards, including the 2020 Mike Wallace Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and gave her a head start with Ole Miss Sports Productions.

“I feel that I’m way ahead because of all of my training in high school,” she said. “Honestly, I could have come out of high school and had a high-paying, full-time job right now.”

The sophomore integrated marketing and communication major produces hype videos, player profiles and other content for Ole Miss women’s golf, spirit and football squads. She also developed an episode of the school’s documentary-style reality show “The Season” that highlighted women’s golf winning the 2021 NCAA championship.

“Many students have video production skills coming into our program, but few have been as advanced as Emma," Will Day, an Ole Miss Sports Production content producer, said. "She was able

to slide in and excel at our basic student workers’ tasks quickly and has aced every opportunity that’s come up for her.”

Harrington hopes to continue in digital content production in the professional sports ranks or with Disney Parks, but eventually she plans to return to an educational setting and introduce a new generation of students to video production like her teachers did for her.

“It’s a tremendous compliment. It’s like that feeling in your heart you get when you see one of your kids do something better than you did it,” Stanford said of Harrington’s desire to give back to students.

Cress said Harrington is already giving back to those following her career academy class, returning to MCHS to mentor students on Friday nights.

Green and Harrington are two examples of how CTE and the career academy model are giving students the soft and technical skills needed to be successful in the workforce regardless of the career path.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 27

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Achieve

ADAPTING TO

Petal HOSA Prepares Future Health Professionals During Pandemic

H Will Graves

ealth science students benefit greatly from skills gained through valuable classroom and clinical experiences. For members of HOSA — Future Health Professionals (HOSA), a global, student-led organization that promotes health care careers, these meaningful experiences often go beyond the classroom through skills competitions, leadership training and community service opportunities for members.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and schools throughout the state started modifying class schedules, Petal High School (PHS) HOSA advisers knew they needed to step into action and provide their students with as many learning experiences as possible, given the unprecedented circumstances.

“I think what is important in health science is to think outside the box,” said Lisa Holmes, a PHS HOSA co-adviser and Health Science I instructor. “We had to figure out ways of allowing our students opportunities even though there was a pandemic.”

28 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

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Editor’s note: Student organizations are an integral part of career and technical education that provide many opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning and leadership development for students. By partnering with business and industry across the state, these organizations allow students to develop their skills and make meaningful connections with potential employers. This is the third of three stories documenting how student organizations continued as the COVID-19 pandemic affected activities.

Opposite: As part of a health presentation at Petal Upper Elementary School, Petal High School (PHS) students from Health Science I and II designed, created and demonstrated hygiene projects to sixth grade students. Standing (from left to right) are junior Courtney Rutland and seniors Ethan Smith, Helen Pope and Halle Myrick.

Left: Then-PHS seniors Abby Shows (left) and Cambria Tuesta participate in a posture assessment demonstration by Dr. Austin Davis of Davis Chiropractic last semester. Health science students benefit greatly from hands-on learning and mentorship from local health care providers.

Right: PHS health science senior Logan Kietzman (center) plays the role of a patient while classmates practice a patient transfer during clinical rotations last semester. Assisting in the transfer are (from left to right) seniors Morgan Fulton, Jacob Allen, Shows and Shannon Collins.

Karla Hogan, PHS Health Science II instructor and HOSA co-advisor, explained that despite the difficulties that came from the pandemic, the HOSA advisers were determined to make the best of the situation and find ways to keep students actively learning and participating in activities.

“We did not want COVID-19 to keep our students from being able to have some of the same opportunities that others experienced in the past,” she said.

“We refused to use it as an excuse; [we used it] as motivation to provide the best

possible experience for our students in our program.”

Like other CTE student organizations, the shift to virtual program delivery took a large toll on HOSA’s statewide participation numbers. Neana Appleberry, a procurement worker for the Mississippi Department of Education who serves as HOSA’s state adviser, said although some conferences had to be canceled due to travel restrictions, the organization was still able to host virtual events.

“We were fortunate enough to be able to put on our conferences last year, but

they were all virtual. We did not have the pleasure of hosting any of our district conferences,” she said. “A lot of my classroom visits were canceled due to COVID-19, there was no approval for schools to travel and schools were not letting visitors in their facilities, so the pandemic impacted us substantially.”

This drop in participation was also felt at the local level and revealed to PHS’s HOSA advisers how difficult it is to recruit first-year health science students as HOSA members in a virtual setting. With health science and HOSA Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 29

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activities being hands-on, it was hard to explain to potential members how much they could learn through the organization when the activities were online.

Juggling the switch between virtualand hybrid-learning schedules made it difficult to provide those hands-on experiences at first, but students still had the chance to learn and participate in engaging assignments. As time went on, more and more outside learning opportunities became available for students.

“We used videos to teach and for students to do return demonstrations,”

Holmes said. “During virtual instruction, of course, there were no face-to-face clinical experiences, but we did develop lessons that provided some hands-on activities. Even with hybrid instruction, we had to limit group work and hands-on activities but were able to provide some outside-the-box assignments. We were eventually able to provide our students with some experiences outside of the classroom following COVID-19 protocols.”

Eventually, students were learning in the classroom full time, and they

Above: Then-PHS seniors Kalyn King (seated left) and Kinsey Bellinger screen and check in potential donors at the school’s 2020 fall blood drive. HOSA — Future Health Professionals (HOSA) provides health science students with many service-learning activities which help reinforce classroom knowledge while making positive a positive impact in their school and community.

Upper right: Mary Kathryn Fairly (left), a recent graduate of the PHS health science program, checks the blood pressure of a Petal Middle School student during the annual health fair in the spring semester.

Lower right: Then-PHS seniors and HOSA members Alaina Nix (left) and Macy Reid practice sports medicine taping in the spring semester. Sports medicine is part of the second-year health science curriculum and a competitive skills event in HOSA competitions.

30 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

began participating in more handson activities again, even though all state and national HOSA events would remain virtual. Students reconnected with clinical rotation experiences and observations and had health care professionals visit classes. HOSA members even got busy working on community service projects again.

“We were able to host two blood drives on our campus, and, in conjunction with our local nursing home, we donated Christmas gifts for the residents,” Hogan said. “We also conducted

feature

a health fair at our middle school and

Although there were many chal-

“I don’t think we as teachers were pre-

taught hygiene at our upper elementary.”

lenges from day one of the pandemic,

pared technologically at the beginning

Out of the entire experience, stu-

the HOSA advisers at PHS were not

of the pandemic, so we were learning

dent success is what kept the PHS

going to let it stop them from provid-

and teaching at the same time” she said.

health science teachers going. Even

ing exceptional learning opportunities

“We were pushed and challenged to

though participating in virtual activ-

for Mississippi’s future health care pro-

do things we haven’t done before, but

ities was challenging, they made sure

fessionals. There was a steep learning

it helped us grow and become better

students had all the tools they needed

curve for everyone and a need for adapt-

teachers in many ways. It would have

to achieve. PHS had three students com-

ability. Although it was difficult, Hogan

been easy to just sit back and say, ‘Oh,

pete and advance to the virtual HOSA

said the experience helped them as

there is a pandemic, so we can't do that,’

International Leadership Conference

educators and connected students with

but overall, I think our students had

after spending part of their summer

valuable experiences in the health care

some great experiences despite the dif-

vacation time preparing for the event.

profession.

ficulties.” news & notes

KACTC Receives NCCER Excellence Award Kosciusko-Attala Career Technical Center’s construction technology and welding programs were recognized in the spring by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation as best in class for their passion to equip students with the skills needed for successful occupations.

Program instructors James Hodges and Trey Culpepper follow the guidelines set forth in the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) manufacturing curriculum. NCCER is a standardized construction and maintenance curriculum with nationally recognized credentials.

Pictured are Mississippi Construction Education Foundation Central Area Director Gary Beeland (left) and Kosciusko-Attala Career Technical Center Director Tony Holder.

Ocean Springs Construction Students Earn NCCER Credentials Six Ocean Springs High School Construction students recently earned their National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) credentials this fall.

National certifications and credentials, including those from NCCER, make students more marketable when they enter the workforce following graduation.

Pictured are (from left to right) sophomore Brady Jackson, junior Hatcher Cleavenger, junior Sam Ming, sophomore Christian Hudgins, instructor Ernie LeBatard, junior Zoe Slotterback and junior Shyann Hill.

Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 31

profile

GRADUATE

Spotlight

What CTE program did you complete and which CTE classes did you take in high school?

I was a part of the Medical Science Academy at Florence High School. Through the program, classes included Health Science I and II, Human A&P, Biology and Sports Medicine I and II.

VANESSA SMITH • Florence High School (Rankin County School District) Class of 2019 • Studies social work at the University of Southern Mississippi

What national certificates or specialized training did you acquire or complete before you graduated?

I graduated with an American Heart Association CPR and First Aid Certification. I was also trained to be able to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.

How did your high school CTE program or CTE classes prepare you for your job or for higher learning?

The Medical Science Academy was where I was introduced to social work, so it showed me options I didn’t even know I had. By doing program projects, including mock interviews, challenging papers and big presentations, I have been able to confidently speak and write my ideas and expressions in my university classes.

What advice would you give incoming students who are contemplating enrolling in CTE classes?

If you’re going to join, go all in. Study hard and retain the information you learn in these classes because some college classes won’t be so hard since you’ve already touched on the information. This program will help shape you and advance you further than others because you’re going to have something others don’t: experience. It might seem hard or scary, but it’s so worth it. news & notes

Palmer Receives First Brumbaugh Lineman Scholarship Reid Palmer, a 2021 Petal High School (PHS) graduate, received the first Dalton Lee Brumbaugh Utility Lineman Scholarship this summer.

The scholarship, which honors the memory of the 2019 graduate, gives climbing gear, hooks and tools donated by WESCO Distribution to a student pursuing additional education or a career in the utility lineman industry.

Brumbaugh was a member of the school’s first utility lineman class. He was killed in a 2020 automobile accident in Lowndes County.

Representatives of the Petal Education Foundation, WESCO Distribution, Chain Electric Company, Petal School District and PHS joined Reid and his family, along with Brumbaugh’s parents, for the scholarship presentation.

32 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

Pictured (left to right) are Chain Electric Company representatives Jarred King and Ricky Bates, and Petal High School graduate Reid Palmer.

EDUCATOR

profile

Spotlight

Why did you become an educator or support staff member?

To be honest, I had a childhood obsession to be a teacher because I had an inspiring third grade teacher who seemed so brilliant and put together that I wanted to be just like her. In high school, I became somewhat of an English nerd, so I felt compelled to share my passion for the content with students. Looking back now, I realize it wasn’t so much that I wanted to be my third grade teacher or to passionately share English content with students; they are simply the things that reached me and gave me connection during times in my life when I needed to be reached. I became an educator to do that for someone like my younger self and maybe even inspire others to become teachers.

What is your greatest success as a teacher or support staff member?

I think my biggest success is getting kids to enjoy learning, no matter what the content is. It took me years to move in a more creative direction with my content. I have discovered learning can take place in two ways: the fun way and the not-so-fun way. Over the past several years, my instructional methods and the learning activities that we do in class to achieve our learning objectives have taken on a new life. The kids became more engaged, and relationships were deepened. So many students tell me Teacher Academy is the best part of their day.

How do you motivate students?

I develop relationships with my students, so most are intrinsically motivated to do their best in my class. When they are lacking motivation, I often say, “Do better,” and they do without any pushback because they know I have the best intentions for them and their future. I also incorporate fun into our learning activities and as extrinsic rewards to keep them motivated.

What advice would you give to first-year educators?

I would tell them to put themselves into the shoes of their students. Would they want to be in their own class? If not, I suggest they explore some more creative options that could be aligned to the learning objectives. This commitment to broaden the scope of instruction to accommodate purposeful fun will not only make kids enjoy the class more, but it will also facilitate deeper relationships with the students, which will produce a stronger desire in the students to be successful in the class.

KELLY COTHERN • Teacher Academy instructor • Richland High School (Rankin County School District)

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Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 33

news & notes

Neshoba County Opens Manufacturing, Innovation Center Neshoba County School District (NCSD) officials opened the Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (CMI) at Neshoba Central High School this semester as part of the district’s vision to graduate all students prepared for both college and careers.

The facility was funded primarily through federal sources and is located in the former high school ROTC facility. The ROTC recently moved to the new high school.

Construction of the CMI not only created space for students in agriculture, digital media, engineering and physics classes to collaborate on projects, but it also produced a new home for after-school workforce development training in welding, sheet metal skills and related disciplines. That program will partner with East Central Community College’s Workforce Development Center and local industries for afternoon and evening courses available to the public.

NCSD Superintendent Lundy Brantley said the CMI’s conState Sen. Jenifer Branning (center) and state Rep. Scott struction was not the end product “but the beginning of Bounds (left) tour the Center for Manufacturing and something great” at its fall ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Innovation (CMI) this fall and speak with NCSD senior “Our goal from the beginning was to provide innovative Ethan Doss. opportunities for our students, staff and community to enjoy,” he said. “By providing first-class facilities for our students, we are showing them that we can compete with anyone in this state and to never settle for second place.

“Students are of utmost importance to us,” Brantley added, “and we continually strive to provide opportunities that will help them compete in a global market along with facilities that provide a positive, encouraging atmosphere.”

The CMI is like a science lab, except it will emphasize collaborative student projects and help hone skills needed to obtain national industry certifications, employment and college placement.

For example, welding and carpentry students will work on projects there, and the district’s digital media program will use the center to promote and advertise the student-created items. The goal is for a class to develop an idea and utilize other classes to bring the idea to fruition.Teamwork is essential, as it is one of the attributes employers look for in employees, school officials said.

The CMI will enable students more opportunities to reach their college- and career-ready goals as students will be able to earn numerous certifications such as NCCER welding and NIMS machining.

The facility was furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, including welding Neshoba County School District supplies, 3D printers, traditional printers and scanners, a table cutter/router, a Superintendent Lundy Brantley gives an overview of the CMI prior to officially lathe machine and engraver and other supplies. opening the facility this fall.

Read CONNECTIONS online @ www.rcu.msstate.edu/connections 34 CONNECTIONS Fall 2021

news & notes

TVA Partnership Awards Itawamba CTC STEM Grant The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), in partnership with Tombigbee Electric Power Association (TEPA) and Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI), gave the Itawamba Career and Technical Center (ICTC) $5,000 for a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education project last semester.

The grant award was part of $800,000 in competitive STEM grants awarded to almost 200 schools across TVA’s seven-state service territory.

“We are so excited TVA and [BVI] have provided this opportunity,” said Carrie Grubbs, ICTC's director. “It’s our goal at ICTC for every student in the district to have the opportunity to explore, develop and master career-essential STEM skills.”

Across the Valley, educators submitted projects large and small to further STEM education initiatives in their classrooms.

ICTC provided approximately 300 in-district sixth grade students a hands-on STEM experience in the following career pathways: automotive service, culinary arts, collision repair, construction, health science and welding. These stu- Top: Officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dents used their STEM skills to create career-specific projects, present educators from the Itawamba Career and Technical including electric circuit robots, a s’mores solar oven, an air- Center (ICTC) with a $5,000 grant for science, technology, brushed painting, bird houses and metal-sculpture art robots, engineering and math (STEM) education projects in March.

Pictured (from left to right) are Itawamba County Supervisor among others.

Donnie Wood, TVA Government Relations Manager Amy Tate, “It was a joy to know that Tombigbee and TVA could help Itawamba County Supervisor Eric “Tiny” Hughes, Fulton Mayor area students through this grant program to shed a positive Barry Childers, ICTC Director Carrie Grubbs and Itawamba light on skills training outside of a traditional classroom set- County School District (ICSD) Supervisor Trae Wiygul. ting,” said Scott Hendrix, the chief executive officer of TEPA Bottom: ICSD sixth graders take part in STEM Week held at the and Tombigbee Fiber.

ICTC this spring. The event was made possible by the TVA grant The competitive grant program provided teachers an and a $1,000 grant from the Itawamba FIRST Foundation. opportunity to apply for funding up to $5,000, and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic and career development and community problem-solving, as well as pandemic-related projects. Schools who receive grant funding must receive their power from a TVA distributor.

“Despite the new challenges Valley teachers faced in 2020 and 2021, they are still focused on providing the best STEM education possible and have adjusted to new ways of teaching,” said Rachel Crickmar, a TVA community engagement senior program manager. “I am proud of the partnerships we have built with these amazing educators across the Tennessee Valley over the past few years and am pleased to be able to provide some support through this program. Through the grants awarded this year, over 72,000 students will be directly impacted across the Valley.”

Follow CONNECTIONS @connectionsms Fall 2021 CONNECTIONS 35

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Published by the Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit.