Career & Technical Education Consortium

We would like to thank Citizen's State Bank for the generous donation of student checkbooks for our Mall of Life event where we teach children to be financially responsible.

They were required to buy or rent a home, buy a car, insurance, clothes, food and go to the doctor, dentist and eye doctor.

They also had the opportunity to vote, buy a phone and go on a vacation.

A huge shout out to our HOYA, Business (CIB) and Culinary students for running our "stores"

Construction Trades Feb/Mar Article

We have finished the exteriors of the rooms that the students built in the shop. The aluminum soffits & vinyl siding are installed. This month we will be learning about finish carpentry and plumbing.

Finish carpentry in construction refers to the final stage of woodworking on a building project, where detailed trim, moldings, doors, windows, and other visible elements are installed to create a polished aesthetic and complete the space, focusing on precision and visual appeal rather than structural support like rough carpentry does; essentially, it's the "finishing touches" on a building's interior and exterior that enhance its appearance and functionality

Culinary Arts Feb/Mar Article

In the second half of February, students in Culinary Arts focused on the Pasta and Egg Cookery units. During the pasta units, students made all the pasta dough from scratch, preparing dishes such as ravioli, chicken alfredo, and carbonara. During the egg unit, students prepared dishes such as quiche and huevos rancheros. In the first half of March, Culinary Arts will focus on international cuisine. After choosing a country, each student will do a presentation about that country's cuisine. Then the entire class will prepare a recipe of that student's choice from their chosen country.

HOYA 2 Feb/Mar Article

Oh my goodness! How are there only 23 class days left for this amazing group of young people?? This entire year has flown by. Hard to believe that graduation for these students is just around the corner. February was a normal busy month. Students are having fun learning their medical terminology words. They have designed Blooket games for their medical terminology word part quizzes. They completed the musculoskeletal system with our chicken wing dissections.

As March has come in like a lamb, HOYA II will have the March lion spirit. They are continuing working at their internships. They will be using their knowledge of the medical terms that they have mastered thus far and will be completing critical thinking worksheets as well as some case study of some of their residents/patients they are caring for during their internships. We will also be dissecting beef and venison hearts and venison lungs as we continue with our cardiovascular and respiratory units.

Students have started their community/public health surveys and will now compose a Google Slide presentation on those findings. Community/public health will always affect any healthcare provider, so it is important to not only know what citizens of their community find important but also to know what types of healthcare each community offers.

Next week the students will be updating their educational bulletin board to address another pertinent health issue. February was Heart Health month and Children’s Dental Awareness month. I am looking forward to the newest board as the students have done such an amazing job on each of the previous ones.

Congratulations and good luck to the Pecatonica boys and girls (Kianna Degner and Payton Thomas and all the other ladies) basketball teams.

As March hopefully changes to warmer weather, please remember to work on some relaxing outdoor activities. Spring and Spring break will be here before we know it.

CIB Feb/Mar Article

Careers In Business (CIB)

March 2025

The students are still tackling Excel and have mixed feeling about it. Some love it and others…not so much. J Since 95% of the business world uses it, we will keep at it so the students are prepared. The Stock Market Game has been very wild this year and the student’s portfolios can rank 50 one day and 500 the next, literally. It’s a great life experience for the students, especially those who like the idea of investing.

Taxes took their toll on this year’s class and I think it’s safe to say there were mixed reviews about it. Half of the class loved learning about them and the other half hated it. Sadly, it’s one of those areas we have to deal with when adulating so I commend them for their perseverance. They’ve never been so relieved to start a new unit: Credit! Credit basics, credit reports and scores, and understanding credit cards make up that unit, which will be followed by insurance and then housing.

On February 26th, the students volunteered at the Mall of Life, a 7th grade CareerTEC sponsored event, which simulates life, making career and financial decisions, and check writing skills. I’m proud of the students who did well assisting the younger students, while having fun too!

Year II students are writing and preparing a presentation for the year I students and their mentors in late April. I’m so excited to see how they turn out!

GOOD LUCK to the Pecatonica boys’ basketball team! Specifically, our CIB II students: Brody Black, Jaxon Diedrich, Jordan Gassman, and Cooper Hoffman, as they compete in the sectional semi-finals and finals March 4th and March 7th, respectively. Winning State is the goal…Go Indians!!

HOYA 1 Feb/Mar Article

HOYA 1 Update: During the last few weeks, the students learned basic life support (BLS) interventions and about mental health.

BLS information learned included the following:

Importance of high-quality CPR and its impact on survival
Describe and apply the concepts of the chain of survival
Recognize when CPR is needed
Perform high-quality CPR on an adult, infant, and child
Describe the importance of using an AED as soon as possible
Demonstrate use of an AED
Provide effective ventilation by using a barrier device
Importance of teams in multi-rescuer CPR
Perform as an effective team member
Describe the techniques for relief or foreign body obstruction for adult, infant, and child

All students completed the BLS course and are now CPR certified!!!! I am so proud of all their hard work and they are ready to save a life!

During the mental health unit, the students worked in groups to identify the following:

Identify seven characteristics of mental health
Identify causes for mental health disorders
Distinguish between fact and fallacy concerning mental health disorders
Explain the connection between mental and physical wellness
List guidelines for communicating with residents who have a mental health disorder
Identify and define common defense mechanisms
Describe types of mental health disorders
Explain how mental health disorders are treated
Identify important observations that should be made and reported
List the signs of substance abuse

In March, the students will learn about different acute and chronic conditions of the various body systems, rehabilitation, restorative care, and how to take care of individuals who are dying and have passed.

We have also started clinicals, and the students are doing very well. Clinical sites include Liberty Village, Parkview, Medina, and FHN. I enjoy watching the students grow and increase their confidence in their skills!