Celebrating Students as they Embark on Careers after High School

On Thursday, May 30, Isle of Wight County Schools did something we had never done before--we hosted a Career Signing Ceremony.  The event was similar to the signing days you see with high school athletes when they commit to a college to play a sport.

But the students this day were not athletes signing with a college.  Instead, they were students who had completed coursework and certifications in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and they were signing with a business where they would use their skills in their chosen career pathway.

The ceremony recognized thirteen students in the programs of Agriculture, Building Trades, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, and Welding.  Businesses ranged from local salons and restaurants, to national companies, and employers associated with the shipbuilding industry.  At the ceremony, the student sat down with a representative from the business, they both signed a ceremonial agreement, and pictures were taken of the student wearing "swag" from their employer.  Families attended, as did members from the School Board, Board of Supervisors, and Economic Development.

We talk about providing students with opportunities to develop their unique gifts and talents, and preparing students to be college, career and life ready.  We made a commitment to our students by offering programs that will prepare them for high skill, high wage, high demand jobs.  I am excited that these students have made decisions in high school that have put them on the pathway to success.

Below are the names of the students who were recognized during the career signing and the businesses who have invited them to join their family.  Scroll down further to see pictures from the ceremony.

Student                                Program                              Business
Adkins, Logan                      Building Trades                   Lowe’s
Baggett III, Webster             Welding                                Suffolk Iron Works
Beasley, Robert                    Welding                                Newport News Shipbuilding
Charles, Joshua                    Culinary Arts                        US Navy—Culinary Specialist
Crocker, Nelson                   Agriculture                            Smithfield Foods
Cross, Tobias                        Culinary Arts                        Vintage Tavern
Dalton, Tyler                        Culinary Arts                        Smithfield Station
Daughtry, Logan                  Cosmetology                         Reflections Salon
Davis, Noah                         Welding                                 Allfirst LLC
Mason, Donnell                   Building Trades                     Lowe’s
Smith, Jada                          Cosmetology                         Nails Studio LLC
Throckmorton, Davis          Welding                                 Allfirst LLC
Yost, Patrick                        Welding                                 Newport News Shipbuilding

Preparing all Students for a Successful Future

In less than seven days, the school division was involved in two significant events that demonstrate our commitment to preparing students for a successful future.

On Wednesday, we officially opened the Career Building at Smithfield High School.  The heavily renovated facility is home to five of our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, including welding, nursing, culinary arts, manufacturing and engineering.  Manufacturing and engineering have access to a MakerSpace area, equipped with 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, and numerous other devices that allow students to take an idea from concept to finished product.  Engineering also incorporates mechatronics into the curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning for mechanical, electrical and computer systems.  The nursing space is designed as a mock medical facility, complete with beds, mannequins, privacy curtains, diagnostic equipment, and a nurses' station.  Our welding lab uses industry standard equipment to prepare students to be highly qualified candidates for employment.  The culinary arts program is soaring to new heights with a commercial kitchen and student-run restaurant.

I felt like a proud parent as I surveyed each room on our tour of the building. There were looks of amazement from our guests and faces full of joy and confidence from our students.  Students, not teachers, spoke to the visitors about their programs, their spaces, and the skills they are developing.  It gave me goose bumps to see the students not just working in their areas, but comfortably sharing their story with all the guests on hand.  They are mastering those 5 Cs (communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, citizenship) that they need to be successful in any path they choose.

The other event occurred on March 1 and, while it didn't receive the same level of coverage as the ribbon cutting on Wednesday, I consider it equally significant.  Last Friday, the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Betting Ring, visited our Land Lab to see how we are teaching Ag through authentic learning experiences.  She was impressed with new barn and classroom as well as the variety of animals and plants located at the farm.  But she was most impressed with the students.  They showed her around and explained to her what they've learned by being part of the program.  It was all student driven. She was not there to celebrate the opening of a facility, but rather the way we are providing our students with real-world learning opportunities.  This was an important part of the redesign of our CTE programs. Having leaders at the state level acknowledge our work and consider it a model for other programs only reaffirms our mission.

Both events would not have been possible without the support of several key groups and organizations.  We are grateful to Smithfield Foods and CEO Ken Sullivan, and the Smithfield Foundation, for donating $3million to establish the Smithfield Legacy project.  The project supports our commitment to preparing students to be college, career and life ready.  The Legacy Project funded the construction of a dedicated facility for JROTC, and the renovation and installation of a state-of-the-art MakerSpace facility in the Career Building, and will support a global logistics program slated for 2020. We also appreciate the financial commitment from the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors, who believed in our vision and understood the importance of providing opportunities for all of our students, not just those going to college after high school.  Because of the support of our School Board, the Board of Supervisors, the business community, and Smithfield Foods, our students will be sought-after candidates for high skill, high wage, high demand jobs.

I've included a round-up of media coverage from both events. I'm also posting a few pictures below.  The images capture the remarkable accomplishments we had only envisioned a few years ago.  While the journey isn't over, I know that the pathways we are creating will equip our students with the skills needed for a successful future.

Links to the Career Building Grand Opening

WAVY News 10:  State-of-the-Art Career Center Unveiled at Smithfield High

Daily Press Video:  Smithfield High Vocational Training

Daily Press: Smithfield High's New Career Facility Includes Restaurant and MakerSpace  

WVEC 13 News Now:  Smithfield High School Opens New Career Center

Suffolk News Herald:  New Career Building Unveiled at SHS 

Global News Wire:  Smithfield Foods Unveils New Career Building at Smithfield High School 


Links to the Secretary of Agriculture's Visit to the IWCS Land Lab

Virginian Pilot:  Isle of Wight's Student-Run Farm Welcomes State Agriculture and Forestry Secretary

Daily Press Video:  Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring Visits Isle of Wight's Student Farm

Check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more pictures from both events.

Celebrating the Grand Opening of the Barn and Classroom Building at the Land Lab

December 5 was a memorable day. Not just because of the snow we saw in Isle of Wight County, but because we hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new barn and classroom building at the Land Lab.  I was unfortunately under the weather and on doctor's orders for bed rest.  It was incredibly difficult to not be there, but I'm extremely proud of everyone involved for putting together an outstanding event.

The ceremony took place inside of the barn, complete with stalls of goats and piglets, and even some boxes of rabbits.  The event included remarks from our School Board Chairman, Vicky Hulick, and the Vice-Chairman for the Board of Supervisors, William McCarty.  Gracie Owney, a senior from Smithfield High and a student in the Agriculture program, also spoke to the guests about what the program means to her. Mike Lombardo, our Assistant Superintendent, shared the following on my behalf:

Three years ago the division embarked on an ambitious journey to redesign the CTE program to better meet the needs of our students.  The Agriculture program has been a part of the IWCS curriculum for decades, but we knew it needed to be updated.  In the 2016-2018 school year, we established a working farm (Land Lab) to expand the existing agricultural program. The land lab was constructed on existing division property behind Windsor Elementary School.   We hired a full-time farm manager for the Land Lab.  The farm manager and agriculture teacher collaborate to provide authentic real-world learning in the areas of agricultural business management and mechanization, along with plant, animal, and soil science.  Since opening in September of 2017, the students have transformed the Land Lab from six acres of uncut grass, to four fenced pastures, a vegetable garden, and housing for chickens, rabbits, goats, and, as of yesterday, pigs. Students receive real world experiences through the Land Lab, such as participation in “farm to table” marketing from the sale of farm products to the public and to the division’s culinary arts program.  The lab has welcomed groups of elementary students as teachers introduce science standards in their classes.  The working farm has made agriculture come to life for students throughout the division.  And now we have these two beautiful buildings to further enhance learning opportunities for our students.

The strides we have made with this program, many of our CTE programs, would not have been possible without the support and involvement of several key people and groups. The Isle of Wight County School Board had the courage and foresight to see the need for a redesign our CTE program. The Board of Supervisors listened to our proposal and publicly supported our vision for our schools with 7.9 million dollar investment.  Our Farm Manager, Daniel Judkins, and Agriculture teacher, Jason Brittle, and the leadership at our two high schools, Principal Laura Sullivan from Windsor High and Zachary Haney from Smithfield High.  We emphasize the importance of collaboration with our students.  The success of our new CTE model would not have been possible without this collaboration and I wanted to acknowledge their contributions this morning.

All of the speakers, along with Jason Brittle, Daniel Judkins, Zachary Haney and Laura Sullivan, joined together to cut the blue ribbon, officially opening the barn and classroom building for use.  As guests toured the facilities, they were able to enjoy refreshments provided by the IWCS Culinary Arts students and instructor Kyle Cousins.

This was really a milestone for our CTE program.  We are redesigning our courses to provide students with authentic learning experiences.  In order to meet that goal, we have to include facilities that realistically simulate those work environments.  These new buildings at the Land Lab do just that and continue to support our vision of ensuring students are college, career and life ready.

I encourage you to click on the link below to watch a video of pictures from the event.

Working Together for a Better Community

The vision for Isle of Wight County Schools is to create a learning environment that enables every child to discover his or her unique gifts and talents. The mission is to enhance and expand on each child’s unique gifts and talents to ensure every child is college, career, and life ready. For this vision and mission to come alive in Isle of Wight County, it requires commitment from the School Board, school leaders, and all school staff. Another important group that may not always be acknowledged is the community.    The community of stakeholders is made up of taxpayers both parents and citizens without children, business partners, and the Board of Supervisors.  The old adage of “It takes a village” has never been more important in these very divisive times. We are fortunate to have two boards that have come together to look out for the interest of Isle of Wight County, first and foremost.  

 

Our future is based on strong economic growth, which is not possible without a strong, viable workforce. The Board of Supervisors (BOS) understands this more than any governing body that I have worked with before. For the budget proposed during my first year, we focused on the condition of our facilities and added line items to ensure infrastructure upgrades and schedules for furniture, playground and bus replacement, as well as cycles for painting and paving at all schools. The BOS funded an increase of $736,000 to meet these very important needs that had been neglected for too long. In year two, our school board and I agreed that we should try to meet the school needs while trying to be fiscally responsible and only ask when funds were needed.  We were able to improve our teachers scale without asking the county for any increase in local dollars. The BOS did fund an additional 2.7 million dollars in the Capital Improvement Budget to replace roofs at Carrsville, Carrollton, and Windsor Elementary school. In addition they agreed to take on the debt service for our new Career and Technical Education project that includes programs such as welding, agricultural sciences on the land lab, building trades, mechatronics, nursing, culinary arts, cosmetology, and global logistics.

This year, with increased enrollment, we met challenges in class size at the high school level that were not expected. Once again the BOS worked cooperatively with our Board to fund additional positions at SHS. The proposed budget for 2018-2019 had requests from several schools that would reduce class size and continue the quality education everyone has come accustomed to.  The request was large--$1,094,000. School Board members met and publicly shared the reasons behind the requests. The number of community members who came out to provide public input was more than I had ever seen.  The speakers were polite and stated their reasons for supporting the budget in a thoughtful and respectful manner.  It was encouraging to see.    The Supervisors came through once again by fully funding the schools operating request.  They also fully funded the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) requests to replace the HVAC at SHS (at a cost of $1.97 million over two years).

In my three years with IWCS, the Board of Supervisors have shown a willingness to work with the School Board to continue, and to even expand, the services provided to our students.  They understand that their investment in the youngest citizens of Isle of Wight County will pay dividends for all stakeholders in the long run.

IWCS Culinary: Catering to Our Vision

What is Your Why?  At Isle of Wight County Schools, we know our Why, and it's to prepare our students to be college, career, and life ready. To do that, we have to provide them with opportunities to discover their unique gifts and talents. As they realize their gifts and talents, they will be able to determine the best pathway for their future. Career and Technical Education courses are key to providing students with those opportunities to discover and develop their talents as they prepare for life after high school.

Our Culinary Program is a shining example of this process.  Mr. Cousins, the culinary instructor, has done an amazing job providing our students with opportunities to cater a wide range of events.  The students have prepared and served lunches to the staff at Smithfield High, as well as for special guests from the community.  They recently assisted at Carrollton Elementary School with the "Empty Bowls, Full Hearts" event that raised money for Christian Outreach. What's more amazing is the program is accomplishing all of this while working out of a very small kitchen.  We are scheduled to open a brand new full service commercial kitchen, along with a restaurant, in September. I am proud of the growth of our culinary students and look forward to providing them with even more opportunities once the new space opens in the fall.

 

If you haven't experienced our culinary program first hand, you can get a glimpse of it from this short promotional video.  I have also included a few pictures from some of the events the students have catered.

 

VIDEO:  Culinary Promotional Video

 

Culinary students prepared and served food at Carrollton Elementary.

Teachers look forward to special lunches hosted by the culinary students.

Prep work is a key part of the culinary program.

Students learn the importance of food presentation.