Highlights from the HACTC - Apr 25

Hello,

Wow, the 4th quarter is here already! During the last part of the school year, things often come together for students. They really solidify the skills they've been working on all year. In many of our programs they are able to really apply their new learning and new skills from the year through culminating projects. It's especially exciting to watch the seniors as they pass their end of course assessments. For example, in just a few weeks we will have a new batch of fully licensed Vermont cosmetologists!

For Juniors, this is a time of year when it starts to feel like our center becomes theirs. We've gotten to know them, they have learned lots in their program, and they are working on developing the leadership skills that they'll utilize next year and beyond.

-Erika Schneider

HACTC Director

Our Senior Celebration will be at the Lebanon Opera House the evening of May 28th. This will be a chance for us to give seniors their certificates of completion, recognize scholarship winners, and celebrate together. We'll have a ceremony and then a chance to mingle with some cookies & punch afterwards.

I'll be sending a number of different details out over the next few weeks, stay tuned for more info!

May 26 - No school, Memorial Day

May 28, 6:00 PM - Senior Celebration

May 30 - Last day for seniors

June 18 - Last day of school, half day

At an assembly earlier this month, we recognized students for embodying the fifth word in our motto, Serve. These students get a certificate and some HACTC swag as a part of their recognition. Check out the Valley News article, coming soon, to see the winners!

Level I:

• "A lot more skills in drawing on computers and stuff. I actually never had worked with tablets before. I'd only drawn on normal paper."
• "Community, and being around people that actually understand what I'm talking about."
• "This gives me more of the ability to express my creativity."
• "I've definitely learned a lot about technology and also collaboration and work ethic. I have a lot more information now, especially because of FBLA, about different work process, like entrepreneurship and business."

Level II:

• "Once I started coming to the tech center, I started to experience more joy, I made new friends, which I still have to this day, and I built close connections[...] My grades from the high school severely improved after coming to the tech center. I just had more fun in the school, it was a break out of the day to be creative[...] I'd say the tech center just really helped me become who I am and figure out myself."
• "I joined because I knew that just taking my regular classes at my other school wasn't going to lead to a career that I wanted. I knew I want some kind of technical arts [career...] We did this little conference with a freelance graphic designer - it was really insightful on what it would be like to do that career. It's given me a lot of information on my future."
• "The reason I came here is because it seemed like a good opportunity to get better at design and photography and all that stuff. And, I mean, college credits are nice!"

Level I:

• "I've learned a lot, how to use a chainsaw, how to climb the trees."
• "I think that it's really good at preparing you for real scenarios or jobs. I think that's the thing that has most affected me. It's much different from normal school because there's a much higher expectation - you get to be here, it's not something that's a guarantee or given to you."
  
• "I learned a work ethic."
• "I enjoy being here[...] It's a better place to be - you're outside, you're doing stuff you actually want to do."
• "I've gotten a lot of useful skills, and I've found things that I love. Things that I've gone out of my comfort zone to learn have become really fun, like climbing. I've climbed 60 feet high, and when I first did that, I was physically shaking, and then I wanted to come down. And then I did it again a second time, and I was like, oh, this is fun."

Level II:

• "Natural Resources helped me narrow down the careers I would like to do after school."
• "The HACTC gave me direction in life post-high school."
• "Making friends, because you get to be with people who aren't in the same school as you, meet new people."
• "[Professional] connections for life that I can use in the future[...] Also the name of the tech center really helps because it shows more than likely you've learned physical skills more than just being set down and taught and hoping you take that in."