Tech Talk Newsletter NOVEMBER, 2013 DECEMBER EVENTS Tech Talk Newsletter Volume 8 Issue 4 FIHS Academy Students Visit Corn Maze During a recent visit to the Amazing Grace Corn Maze, academy students were in for a real treat as they made their way through the corn maze, the first of its kind in Clay County! Dec. 4-5 - VyStar Reality Fair, TTC main room, 7am-2pm Dec. 5—CAIT Advisory Board Mtg, MHS Media Center, 2:30-4pm Photography students were tasked with taking pictures to include patterns, shapes, and colors, and the corn maze provided the perfect backdrop! Project presentations will be judged and certificates awarded at their end of the year banquet. Television students were asked to produce a commercial about the corn maze. Each student shot their stories and the editing process has begun! Videos will be presented and judged with the “Best of” video awarded a certificate as well. When asked what he liked the most about the field trip, photography student Roger Meyer declared that he really liked the antique tractor display. “It was amazing!” Dec. 5—AACID Advisory Board Mtg, MHS Media Center, 5-6pm Dec. 10—Academy of TV Prod and Photojournalism Advisory Board Meeting, FIHS Media Center, 6:30-7:30pm Dec. 12—VyStar Academy Advisory Board Meeting, FIHS Guidance Conference Room, 2-3pm MHS Contributes to Breast Cancer Awareness Dec. 17—FFA Sub-District Career Dev. Events, TBD, 8-12noon Dec. 19—School Board Meeting, TTC, 7:00pm For the 2nd year, the culinary program at Middleburg High School teamed up with the leadership class at MHS to make a contribution to Breast Cancer Awareness. Mrs. Dawn Powers requested the culinary students to make over 150 breast cancer ribbon cookies to sell for a donation to the Susan B. Kolman Cancer Foundation. Darius Grindstaff, a senior in both programs, took the lead on the project and made sure all the cookies were perfect; with the help of Hunter Chaff, senior, and the leadership class, the students sold all the cookies during the school lunch period. An additional order of cookies was requested by a member of the Clay County Farm Bureau to distribute to guests at their luncheon. Combined proceeds from the MHS sale and the Farm Bureau sale will be donated to the Susan B. Kolman Cancer fund. We look forward to increasing this program next year. Keystone Heights High Culinary Program Gets “Spooky” Halloween is the time of year that the “spooky” comes out of everywhere to fascinate the hoards of trick-ortreaters searching to soothe their sweet-tooth. The advanced KHHS culinary students, lead by senior Brittany Filing, successfully fulfilled their dreams with made-to-order dark chocolate cakes with butter-scream icing. Deep and delicious, the cakes were each hand decorated with eerie Halloween sprinkles and a foreboding eight-legged monster! Spooktacular job KHHS culinary students! Written by: Dylan Beard Tech Talk Newsletter Oakleaf High School Brings “Old West” Back The Gaming and Simulation class at Oakleaf High School has recently completed their first video game. Students worked on all facets of the game including: game design, 3D modeling, animation, programming, audio editing, project management, voice talent, art direction, testing and publishing. The Old West themed shooting gallery gives you 60 seconds to test your reflexes. The game can be played at http:// www.oakleafknights.com/main.php?id=1487. Page 2 FIHS Visits “Sweet Pete’s” Accounting and Financial Operations students were “sweetly” entertained as Mr. Pete demonstrated the art of making chocolate bars in the relatively new venture by one of the former owners of Peterbrooke Chocolates. Students recently visited the chocolate factory in Springfield to hear about chocolate commodities trading and how the former partner bought chocolate for his 20 plus stores before the company was sold to its current owners. They heard about the challenges of growing a new business primarily through the use of social media. What is a trip to a candy store without a special treat? After selecting the topping of their choice, students took home a little memento of their day….their very own chocolate candy bar handcrafted by the candy maker himself, Mr. Pete! KHHS TV Production Class Guest Anchors on Channel 4 KHHS Culinary Students Create Edible Centerpieces On October 30, 2013, the Keystone Heights Television Production class took a field trip to tour Channel 4. Students were treated to a comprehensive tour of the studio and were able to learn and explore the various careers in Television Production that will be available to them should they Culinary Arts is one of the few places where students are actually encouraged to play with their food! Keystone Heights High students spent the day developing their knife skills to create floral arrangements made exclusively with vegetables! Creating the edible centerpieces helped to prepare culinary students for competing at the state ProStart Culinary Competition in Orlando in March. pursue a career in media. The tour concluded with a sit-in on a live broadcast of the 12:30 news broadcast. During one of the commercials, the news anchors surprised our students and put them on the air. Then to top it off, they pulled one of our morning news anchors up and let her sign off the program for the broadcast. Tech Talk Newsletter Page 3 Oakleaf Jr. High FFA Competes at Several Fairs Oakleaf Jr. High FFA has been busy competing in contests at several local fairs. Our FFA members are continually practicing and putting forth effort for these contests. Their dedication and hard work has surely paid off this year. Northeast Florida Fair Poultry Judging Contest: 1st Place: Bailey Davis, Macie Avery, Rebecca Koskey, Shane Adams 2nd Place: Javonte Quintana, Dawson Crosby, Jacob Johannes, Andres Sanchez 3rd Place: Brock Sinaly, Jackson Tackett, Jake Davis, Ryan Davis High Individuals: Bailey Davis (1st), Jacob Johannes (2nd), Javonte Quintana (3rd) Northeast Florida Fair Livestock Judging Contest: High Individual: Javonte Quintana (2nd) Jacksonville Fair Livestock Judging Contest: 2nd Place: Kara Dust, Katlyn Lopresti, Riley Hulett, Javonte Quintana Jacksonville Fair Poultry Judging Contest: 1st Place: Bailey Davis, Mitchell Cuthbertson, Javonte Quintana, Rebecca Koskey High Individuals: Bailey Davis (1st), Mitchell Cuthbertson (3rd) Jacksonville Fair Horticulture Judging Contest: 1st Place: Amelia Hall, Priscilla Hall, Bailey Davis, Donovan Mosier High Individuals: Bailey Davis (1st), Amelia Hall (2nd), Priscilla Hall (3rd) Lake Asbury Jr. High TSA Students Place at Competition Christina Behnken placed 1st (with her team) in Leadership and Team Building. Santiago Giraldo and Chase Hutchingson placed 2nd in Problem Solving at the Florida TSA Leadership Conference/Competitions which was held in Orlando, October 16-9, 2013. L-R: Christina Behnken, Katie Behnken, Paul Barletta, Santiago Giraldo, David Baxley (Not Pictured:Chase Hutchingson) OPHS Early Childhood Students Enjoy Awesome Autumn Early Childhood at OPHS has experienced an awesome autumn. During October, our students helped host a pumpkin carving event for our families. Each family received a very plumply, dumply pumpkin to carve and name, then gave rounds of cheers for the spookiest, funniest, and happiest jack-o-lanterns. FCCLA and Early Childhood students also planned a Parents’ Night Out. Children were treated to a harvest hoedown featuring square dancing, wagon rides, fall games and crafts. Hee Haw! To close out November, Early Childhood students, along with FCCLA, decorated our center and welcomed our “little Indians” and families for a potluck feast. This is a special tradition we share as a “Kampus Kids Family”, while giving thanks for our bountiful blessings. Tech Talk Newsletter Page 4 Oakleaf HOSA Oakleaf HOSA has been hard at work this fall with many activities. The students have participated in vision and hearing screenings at four Clay County elementary schools. They participated in the Jacksonville “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk on October 26, 2013, and raised almost $200 for the event! HOSA week was November 4-8, 2013. Oakleaf High School had the honor of hosting the HOSA Fall Leadership Conference to kick off the festivities. Every day was a different theme, including, Monday-wear red day to support cardiac awareness, Tuesday-wear medical attire (even our administrators participated in this), Wednesday-silly socks day, Thursday-HOSA shirt day, and Friday-school spirit day. The HOSA members were treated to a Chik-Fil-A breakfast on Wednesday to celebrate the hard work of the students! CHS Academy of Law & Emergency Services Honors Two Students Clay High School Academy of Law and Emergency Services had two students spotlighted in the homecoming parade. Lindsey Lee is the current Miss Clay High and a member of the cheer squad. Courtney Cone is the 2013 Prom Queen and cheer squad captain. Both girls have been in the Allied Health program for four years and plan to be registered nurses. Congratulations to Lindsey and Courtney for representing us so well. Courtney Cone Lindsey Lee 2013 CHS Prom Queen 2013 Miss Clay High Keystone Heights Ag Program Learns New Way to Grow Keystone Heights Agriculture Academy students are learning hands-on applications of sustainable agriculture. What is sustainable agriculture? It is minimizing water, fertilizer, and chemical usage to successfully grow food and ornamental crops. Two of KHHS agritechnology 1 classes are engaging this practice by growing a crop of strawberries. The students designed and installed a drip irrigation system accompanied with a fertilizer injector. This drip fertigation system greatly reduces water and fertilizer usage. By directing the water to the plants on the soil surface, it also helps prevent the spread of fungal spores that is commonly associated with traditional overhead irrigation systems. Once the berries are ready to harvest, these same students will develop and execute a business plan for tracking the sales and profitability of the strawberry crop. Tech Talk Newsletter Page 5 Oakleaf High School Establishes Tradition We are proud to announce that on Thursday, October 3, the Biotech Academy students at OHS established a tradition for all future Biotech Academy students. Level 2 and level 3 academy students received their white lab coat in the Inaugural Lab Coating Ceremony. This marks a momentous occasion as we recognize the significance that these students intend to make in the future of biotechnology. The ceremony began with an introduction from Mrs. Keri Sidle. She welcomed supporters of the program that were in attendance as well as the Biotech Academy students. After Mrs. Sidle spoke about the academy and all that it entails for students here at Oakleaf High School, Mrs. Denise Adams, Deputy Superintendent of Clay County Schools, welcomed students with words of praise and encouragement for their choice in being a part of the Biotech Academy. She talked about the opportunities and benefits that come from being in an academy. Mrs. Adams stated that she is looking forward to seeing students’ and teachers’ accomplishments as the academy grows. Mrs. Eileen Monck, a biotech professor at Santa Fe College, addressed the students with words of wisdom and support for their future careers in biotechnology. Professor Monck talked to the students about the industry of biotechnology and its expected growth in the next 50 years as our country becomes more technologically advanced and our growing population strains our resources. Monck was very excited about the opportunities that are currently available and the prospects that will be available in the near future. David Broskie, Principal at OHS, and Lorie Skorich, biology teacher, presented the Level 2 and level 3 Biotech Academy students with their white lab coat. The lab coats were embroidered with the academy logo and the student’s name, which symbolizes their dedication and commitment to the Biotech Academy and their future endeavors. By: Mrs. Melissa Kaplan and Mrs. Brandy Stafford KHHS FFA Wins at Nationals The Keystone Heights Senior and Middle FFA Chapters traveled to National FFA Convention October 29November 2, 2013, in Louisville, Kentucky. At convention, both chapters received 3 Star National Chapter Awards. The highest award the National FFA can bestow on its chapters. Both the middle chapter and senior chapter qualified for this award last June at State FFA Convention. The Florida FFA selects 30 of their top chapters to move on to the national level. Two of our 3 FFA chapters were selected from over 300 FFA chapters in the State. At the national level, both our chapters were awarded 3 Stars. The national honor comes on the heels of also being selected as one of Florida’s Finest FFA Chapters in June at the Florida FFA State Convention in Orlando. The group of about 125 students completed several projects last year including the Nutrients for Life program, Pennies for Patients, Keystone Garden Club’s Florist Angels program, raising and showing steers, swine, and heifers for the Clay County Agricultural Fair, can food drives for LAM, school gardens for Keystone Heights Elementary, Farm Day programs for Keystone Heights Elementary and many more. Chapter advisor, Erin Verplanck, along with FFA members Carley Dyal, Bailea Gnann, Austin Saunders, Dan Mason, and Jacob Fanton attended the 2013 National FFA Convention. OPHS Gives Blood Thanks to all the students and staff that took the time to donate blood last month. Orange Park High School’s Academy of Health Science (AHS), in partnership with Orange Park Medical Center, sponsored the first of three blood drives held at OPHS throughout the school year. Students oversee sign in’s, take vitals, and ensure participants are taken care of as they donate blood with the intent to help others in need. Tech Talk Newsletter Page 6 OPHS AHS Attend Orientation Career and Technical Education 2306 Kingsley Avenue Orange Park, FL 32073 Ph: 904-284-6574 Fax: 904-284-6546 E-mail: [email protected] The seniors at Orange Park High School’s Academy of Health Science (AHS), in partnership with Orange Park Medical Center, prepare to start their clinical experience with an orientation at Orange Park Medical Center (OPMC). Students are expected to follow a strict Code of Conduct set forth by OPMC. They will be visiting OPMC once a week to gain experience in the medical profession. Seniors are required to attend set number of hours required by the board of nursing to qualify for their CNA test in the spring. Last year 93% of the seniors in the OPHS AHS earned their CNA license by the time they graduated from high school. CTE Department Staff Chereese Stewart, Director of CTE Melissa Ebener, Adm. Assistant Alice Paulk, Supervisor of CTE Kelly Mosley, CTE Specialist OPHS Engineering Students visit VAC-CON Please send any articles and pictures you would like to appear in our newsletter to Melissa Ebener at [email protected] Orange Park High School students from the Academy of Engineering and Computer Science (AECS), Welding, and Carpentry were among several Clay County high schools to be treated to an extensive tour of one of Clay County’s most successful companies. Vac-Con was established in 1986 and is located in Green Cove Spring, FL. It houses nearly 300 employees and prides itself on manufacturing all of its combination machines and components right here in Clay County. Orders are taken from all over the world and shipped from this very location. Vac-Con administration went over and beyond to share with the students the secret to success of their mega company. Students observed everything from the designing of the specialized vehicles, to a walk through on how they are made, to the process of taking orders, shipping and repairs. MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break and took the opportunity to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. What a great time of year to be thankful for what we have and help someone else in need along the way. As we continue into the semester, let us remember we make a difference every day in the lives of our students. Chereese Stewart “No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” Alfred North Whitehead