Volume XXXIX No 2

Where can CTC graduates go? Anywhere in the world!

January, 2018

Serving Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties

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PARENTS, SHARE THIS ISSUE WITH YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER!

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Nondiscrimination Policy: It is the policy of the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed or ancestry, political belief, sex, disability, handicap, religion, age, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity or employment.

Printed on recycled paper

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REMINDER:When Traverse City Area Public schools has a snow day, the Career-Tech Center is also closed!

The TBAISD Career-Tech Center team cruised into downtown Traverse City on Friday, December 1, for the inaugural Festival of Lights Parade to welcome Santa to downtown. With a dazzling combination of lights, color, and sound, CTC joined 26 other entries to set the standard for future parades and represented CTC with pride, style, and flair. Well over 1,000 Christmas lights emblazoned the CTC flagship, combined with Christmas trees, wreaths, and a variety of colorful holiday decorations. Festive holiday music resonated from the ship’s bow, encouraging parade watchers to dance, sing, and applaud CTC team members and their families. Students from a number of CTC programs worked collaboratively to create the Christmas Tree Ship that paid homage to the schooner, Rouse Simmons, which set sail from northern Michigan to bring Christmas trees to Chicago in 1912. Programs contributing to the float included Construction Trades, Skilled Trades, Electrical Occupations, Film and New Media, Graphic Design/Promotional Media, Auto Body Repair, Welding/Fabrication, and Precision Machining Technology. Students and families representing these and many other CTC programs either rode the ship or lined Front Street and cheered enthusiastically as the float passed through downtown Traverse City. Following the parade, the crowd gathered together at Cass and Front Streets to watch Santa’s arrival and the ceremonial illumination of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree Ship in Festival of Lights Parade

CTC staff and their families waved to the crowds along Front Street as the float made its way along the parade route.

Robert Kornexl, Paraprofessional, Skilled Trades students from Electrical Occupations worked on the Christmas Tree Ship with instructor Tim VanderMeulen to install a programmable logic controller (PLC) system to power the lights on the ship. (Front row L-R): Tim VanderMeulen, instructor; Caleb Grant (12) Suttons Bay. (Back row) Brianna Smith (12) Traverse City Central; Andrew Morse (12) Traverse City Central.

CTC student Jordan Leusby, (12), Kingsley High School, from Automotive Technology joined students from the Wexford-Missaukee Career-Tech Center and the Charlevoix-Emmett County ISD for the Job's For America's Graduates (JAG) National Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, from November 27 through December 1, 2017. The statewide program, Jobs for Michigan's Graduates (JMG,) helps Michigan's young

adults graduate and make successful transitions to post-secondary education or meaningful employment. CTC Career Preparation Specialist, Dana Venhuizen, coordinates the program on behalf of Northwest Michigan Works! to partner with instructors at career and technical centers throughout our region to identify students who would benefit from leadership, citizenship, and employability skills training. Venhuizen teaches lessons on soft skills and post-secondary opportunities in the Automotive Technology program at the CTC. She also coordinated a field trip for students to attend legislative sessions in Lansing where they advocated for career and technical education in Michigan. College field trips and lessons on developing budgets and financial plans are also part of the leadership training. These students attended sessions with 850 students from across the U.S. and attended a governor’s luncheon with 15 governors who serve on the JAG board of directors.

(L-R) Olivia Emond, a Hospitality, Retail, and Entrepreneurship student from Wexford-Missaukee ISD; Jared Piechan, a Welding student from CHAR-EM ISD; and Jordan Leusby, TBAISD CTC student from Kingsley.

Student Attends Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.

After raising and processing chickens as part of their Future Farmers of America (FFA) competition, Agriscience/Natural Resources students sold their chickens to the Culinary Arts program to prepare in the World Class Café kitchen. Any chickens that were not sold were then donated to feed our hungry neighbors across the region. (L-R) Rachel Cooper (11) North Central Academy and Ashley Mouch (11) North Central Academy helped load the processed chickens into the Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan truck.

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Principal Pat Lamb addressed students from across the CTC who packed the Front Street Writers (FSW) studio for the first Coffee House event of the year. On Halloween, students gathered to share and listen to each other’s work. Some came dressed in costume while everyone enjoyed snacks in the festive and relaxed setting. FSW students acted as masters of ceremony and

produced the event. They host several coffee house events throughout the year in which they invite students from across the Center to share their projects or support their peers as they read from or talk about their work and hone their presentation skills.

Coffee House Celebrates Student Work

TRAVERSE BAY AREA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT Non-ProfitU.S. Postage

PAIDTraverse City, MIPermit No. 115

880 Parsons RoadTraverse City, MI 49686Our mission is to prepare students with skills and learning experiences for employment and life-long learning.

NEWS AND NOTESTBAISD Career-Tech Center, “A Great Place to Learn”

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Child and Adolescent Health Clinic880 Parsons Rd., Traverse City 231.922.6416

CTC Prepares Students to “Think Big” with Michigan CAT• • • • • • • •

Yvonne Boyer, Michigan Caterpillar representative, visited with CTC Automotive Technology students on Tuesday, November 21, 2017. Boyer has worked in Michigan CAT’s human resources department for twenty years. She spoke to a group of nineteen students in the afternoon session and brought along CTC alumni Thomas Hebden and Tyler Storms to discuss the similarities between the CTC and the work environment at Michigan CAT. Both alumni stated that the Tech Center’s focus on work ethic and punctuality impacted their workplace expectations. “When you come in, you can’t stand around — if you’re sitting around, it’s looked down upon. You always have to be doing something — here they’re very picky about that as well,” Hebden said of how Michigan CAT’s work ethic expectations compare to CTC’s. Boyer discussed Caterpillar’s Think Big program, a competitive program reimbursing employees for an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences, formed in collaboration with Owens Community College in Ohio. She stated that a career and technical center experience aids a candidate on their application. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio including standardized test scores and a personal essay, as well as a transcript proving their strong attendance and work ethic in school. Students were impressed by many of Caterpillar’s products, with price tags on their equipment reaching upwards of $2 million. Many students inquired about future careers with Michigan CAT, and Boyer concluded by inviting each interested student to the company’s career night at their Kalkaska branch.- - Jessie Williams and Calista Trowbridge, Front Street Writers students

It is hard to believe the holiday season is already behind us! As our students prepared for the holiday break, the gift of giving was alive and well at our Career-Tech Center. Our Agriscience/Natural Resources students raised chickens this year and had them processed locally. They then donated several chickens to the Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan. Our NTHS students had a change war that raised over $850.00 which was donated to Child and Family Services. Our student council filled over five vans with canned food that was delivered to Father Fred to be distributed to our local community. These are only a few of the charitable contributions our CTC students have accomplished. I must say I am blown away by our students’ generosity and commitment to helping our less fortunate community members in their time of need. We can all be proud of our CTC students for their outstanding commitment to serving our community. I hope you have an enjoyable winter!

VAPING and E-CIGARETTES: What are they? E-cigarettes (also called “e-cigs,” “vape pens,” “e-hookahs”) are devices that typically deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users through an inhaled aerosol, and they are especially popular among youth and young adults. E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used form of smoking by youth in the U.S. E-cigarettes contain a small cartridge (tank) filled with a liquid, as well as a heating element. The element is heated up using a battery. This causes the liquid to vaporize so that it can be inhaled (called vaping). E-liquids typically contain distilled water, propylene glycol, glycerin, various flavorings, and usually nicotine, too. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver other drugs besides nicotine, such as marijuana.

Do e-cigarettes harm your health?Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and may harm brain development. Nicotine exposure during periods of significant brain development, such as adolescence, can disrupt the growth of brain circuits that control attention, learning, and susceptibility to addiction. When e-liquid is heated, harmful substances may arise. Inhaling the vapor may irritate the airways too. Compared to tobacco cigarettes, they are currently believed to be less harmful to your health. This is because the smoke that arises when tobacco is burned contains many carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances. E-cigarettes don’t contain any tobacco, so they release less harmful substances. However, many youth begin smoking e-cigarettes and then become addicted to the nicotine and start smoking regular cigarettes. It’s too soon to say for sure how the regular and long-term use of e-cigarettes may affect your health. There have been very few long-term studies in this area.

Advertising to youth:E-cigarettes are a 3.5 billion dollar business in the U.S. Cigarette companies spend a large amount of their advertising directed toward youth. Over the past several years, e-cigarette advertising has gone up significantly, and so has the smoking rate among youth. In fact, over a quarter of youth in middle and high school have tried e-cigarettes.

Questions or for help quitting:The Youth Health & Wellness Center would be happy to set up an appointment to discuss your questions and concerns about e-cigarettes. Quitting is not easy, and we can provide support as you work to end this habit.

FLU SHOTS: It’s not too late, and the flu season is here for a while. Call 922-6416 for an appointment.

YHWC is a Medicaid enrollment site and can help you get medical coverage for your child.

Patrick Lamb,Principal, TBAISD CTC