CTE summer camp provides career path ideas for Richmond Co. students

The Richmond County School District Career and Technical Education Camp kicked off this week, giving hundreds of participating students hands-on lessons in a variety of topics.

Meant to inspire a career path, throughout the next two weeks students have the opportunity to learn lessons in photography, criminal investigations, automotive, repair, firefighting and much more from specialists with a lengthy background in his or her perspective fields.

“It’s awesome, and we’re excited to do it. This is our passion. CTE is our passion and we’re excited to get this information out here,” said Lisa Campbell, CTE curriculum instructional management coordinator at Richmond Senior High School. “This is a free camp. It doesn’t cost anything. We provide bus transportation and snacks to the kids. We just want to get them and share all of the good knowledge and the fun stuff CTE has.”

Monday’s first day of camp made for an interesting spectacle at RSHS. Only feet away from student parking, students taking the firefighter manned a hose for the first time while learning how to attach it to a fire engine. In the automotive shop, students received lessons on basic tire repair. In the basement, students put their observational skills to the test while viewing a mock crime scene. Campbell said the camp inspires participants to find a career path at an early age. Many of the programs featured in the CTE camp act as an introduction to already existing RSHS career programs such as firefighting and welding. After showing proficiency in his or her desired field to potential employers through the programs, many students enter the workforce with high-paying, in-demand jobs before receiving a high school diploma.

“This is the fun part about our job. This is the fun part, when we see that lightbulb go off it just makes it all worthwhile. It really does. This is our second year doing it on this scale … It’s good. It was a little easier doing this this year. Last year, I was feeling my way through it – thinking about what we needed and everything we needed to do. Last year gave me an idea of how to lay it out this year and make it a little bit smoother,” Campbell said.

The Richmond County School District Career and Technical Education Camp is part of a federally funded program teaching career skills to kids. Campbell attributed the strong turnout of more than 100 campers in part to a recruitment campaign from CTE development coordinators Jason Perakis and Cherie Young.

“We started a couple of months ago. Cherie Young and Jason Perakis went out to all of the middle schools, and they took registration forms. They showed them about the camp. They registered them. That filtered into me and I put them in classes, and here we are,” Campbell said.

The camp will run for two weeks with a session per week, so students have the option of exploring multiple career paths, or taking the same course twice and reinforcing the lessons they learned the first time around. Campbell also credited Greg Norton, CTE director, for taking the lead in procuring much of the equipment used for the camp and working with instructors in creating a place catering to the career interests students seem eager to explore.

“He got us some amazing equipment that we have never seen before at CTE. We are just fortunate to be a part of it … It’s amazing. It really is. Someone once said ‘Which [course] would you go to?’ They’re all great. If you have people in their expertise, their field, sharing their passion, it’s just amazing. I think the kids have enjoyed it too. A lot of them are repeaters from last year,” Campbell said.