It was a big year for Fountain Hills High School’s Career and Technical Education program (CTE), with teachers and students gathering on May 19 to celebrate another year of successes at the annual CTE Completer Reception.

“This year, 365 students were enrolled in our nine programs,” explained CTE Director Jennifer Ray.

“After completing the second or third year of a program, students took a state ‘End of Program’ assessment and those who pass were awarded a certificate from ADE, which can be helpful when applying for jobs and scholarships.”

Seniors who completed a two- or three-year CTE program were also given an honor cord to wear during graduation.

“Some students went above and beyond program requirements to do a CTE internship their senior year, where they applied their learning in an industry setting,” Ray continued.

“Although we didn’t recognize the many students who earned dual enrolment college credit in their CTE program, we did recognize the photography and graphic design students who submitted 2D AP portfolios to the College Board.”

During the event, CTE instructors also gave out a special Teacher Award to students they wanted to recognize for a special contribution to the program.

Finally, the event recognized seniors who went above and beyond their graduation requirements and took a full schedule of classes during their final year at FHHS.

“We commend them for taking full advantage of the opportunities and experiences we offer,” Ray said.

“They leave FHHS extra prepared for life after high school. They were given a gold pin of the number six, representing the six classes they took, to wear on their honor cords.”

Along with the usual batch of CTE programs, this year students were given a new opportunity to become Microsoft Office Specialist certified. Ray said that 23 students went on to gain certification in PowerPoint and/or Word.

“This will surely be an asset when applying for future jobs,” she added.

Because of their high scores statewide, three local students also placed in the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist Arizona State Championship.

Tatum James was the second place winner in PowerPoint while Nick Laessig earned third in Word. Annie Helm took third place in PowerPoint.

“They each will receive a MOS Prize Package, which includes a backpack, speaker, headphones, notebook/pen, water bottle and mouse pad,” Ray added.

“We are so proud of them.”

Finally, a pair of CTE teachers were also recognized during this special event, including teachers Stan Connick and Claire McWilliams, who will both be moving on from FHHS.

Connick will be stepping away from the classroom after four years at FHHS to put more time into his architectural business while McWilliams, an 18-year teacher at the local high school, will be heading to Arizona State University to teach full-time.