Putnam County School District - Shaping the Future

Schools will be closed Monday, March 14th - Friday, March 18th for SPRING BREAK! 🌷🌻🌴🌞 The District Office will be open if you need any assistance. Enjoy your break, and we'll see you back on Monday, March 21st!

Former Student Spotlight: Carlie Drew PJSHS Carlie Drew is a 2021 graduate of Palatka High School. Carlie was part of the Automotive program at PHS under David Garison. Carlie says, "Mr. Garison sold me on the automotive program by getting my attention at Open House in 8th grade to show me the automotive shop. He told me that being in his program would make me independent and not easily taken advantage of in the automotive industry because I am female. He was patient and understanding towards my initial lack of knowledge and small stature. He found areas that worked toward my strengths like being the lead on projects." Carlie also thought the automotive class would help her with her future plans at the time, to be an aerospace engineer. Although Carlie's future plans have changed, the value of what she learned in the program will never be forgotten as she explains, "Being in the program has taught me to communicate with people who have different skill sets and how to work in a predominantly male environment." These skills will be important in what Carlie has planned for her future. She is currently a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and she hopes one day to be an officer in the army. She plans to earn a degree in Global Conflict Studies while she is part of the ROTC program at ERAU. Carlie's advice to students, "Explore your choices and step outside your comfort zone. I wasn't planning on certifying or doing more than one year of automotive, but I ended up earning 6 certifications and was a program completer. This gave me the confidence to try another program, JROTC, and I fell in love with that program. I attribute my leadership skills, my willingness to try new things, and my confidence to succeed in any situation to my time in automotive."

Happy International Women's Day to all the exceptional women making a difference in the Putnam County School District and our community! You are leading the way in inspiring a brighter future for our youth. Here's to all the women, everywhere!⁠ #ProudtobePCSD

A meeting was held today to problem solve and improve coordinated efforts of those who are combatting the recent incidents of violence in our community. PCSD & PJSHS leaders met with representatives from PPD, PCSO, and the State Attorney's Office. #ProudtobePCSD

Former Student Spotlight: Trevor Carnes PJSHS Trever Carnes is a 1998 graduate of Palatka High School. While at Palatka High School, he was part of the automotive program in 10th through 12th grade with teacher Frank Santana. Trever says, "Being in the automotive program led me down the path to wanting to be an engineer so I would have the opportunity to hopefully address design flaws in automobile design. However, during engineering school I ended up finding my passion in materials science which led me to where I am now." Now, Trever is a Lead Engineer and Lab Engineer with Energy to Power Solutions where he has worked for the last 13 years. Trever graduated from Florida State University with a Master of Science focused on Mechanical Engineering. He began his career supporting government entities like the United States Airforce and NASA designing, fabricating, assembling, and testing superconducting magnets and much more. At his current position, Trever is managing multiple engineering projects where he is required to maintain budgets, order materials, make sure his team meets deadlines, produce testing reports throughout the duration of a project, and final reports once a project is completed. Trever remembers Mr. Santana fondly, "He was always in a good mood and provided a positive influence for any challenges we faced during class." Trever likes to run his team the same way these days. Trever's advice for students, "Don't be afraid to do whatever it is you find interesting. You never know where it will lead. As the saying goes, if you do what you love, then you will love what you do."

CALL FOR INTERVIEWS! HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY SCHOOLING DESEGREGATION: 1954-1972 Were you involved in Putnam County's education system from 1954 - 1972? We want to hear your story! The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program will be conducting interviews with educators, administrators, students, parents, and community members. Contact Dr. Rebekah Cordova by email at [email protected] or by phone at (303) 246-4331 to set up an interview to share your stories.

Former Student Spotlight: Palatka High Brittany Gilger/Agriculture Brittany Gilger is a 2016 graduate of Palatka High School. While at Palatka High, Brittany participated in the Agriculture CTE program under Mr. Brown, Mr. Rhoden, and Mr. Lungren, but she says her passion for agriculture was sparked in middle school when she had Sally Becker Herrington as a teacher. During her time in PHS agriculture, Brittany earned the Agriculture Technology certification. Also, Brittany completed her AA degree in Business Management while she was a student at PHS and she highly recommends students try dual enrollment, as she says, “I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to do dual enrollment to do so! It is a great investment in your future!” Since she had finished her AA, Brittany was easily able to go straight to the University of Florida where she graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Education and Communications and a minor in Leadership Development. She decided on this major and minor because of her agriculture CTE classes, as she explains, “I knew I wanted to help youth develop the passion for agriculture and leadership that I have.” Now, Brittany has her dream job as a 4-H Youth Development Educator for the Purdue Extension where she lives in Indiana with her husband and young son. Brittany says, “My CTE program in middle and high school helped me to gain leadership, public speaking skills, and the love for agriculture that not only helped me get my current position, but also helps me do my job every single day.”

Brandon Wellington is a 2015 graduate of Palatka High School. While in school, Brandon was part of the welding program at PHS under Mr. Brewer and then the current teacher, Levi Bennett. Brandon explained, “Being in the program truly helped me as a teenager because I was held to a higher standard of safety and skill being in the welding shop at age 15-18. In this program, I was taught workplace etiquette as well as the skill of welding.” Interestingly, Brandon now works as a small business manager, but his welding skills come into play in his new favorite hobby, glass blowing. As he explains, “I have found an interest in glass blowing which I can actually translate a lot of welding knowledge to, and it has allowed me to express myself by creating art.” Brandon credits his two welding instructors with instilling in him the ability to admit to and fix mistakes, to have confidence in his abilities, and how small things matter the most to the people around you. For example, he said, “Mr. Bennett was an amazing leader and teacher. His love for students was strong! I even remember that he came all the way to St. Augustine to watch me practice BMX. That meant a lot to me.” Brandon’s advice for students is to make choosing a career and setting goals for the future a top priority. He says, “Explore your options and be sure to take advantage of any and every learning opportunity.”

PCSD School Counselors are shaping the futures of our students- we are grateful for their constant dedication to our students and families! #schoolcounselingweek #proudtobePCSD

Building Construction Technology is our newest CTE program in development. This program will be located at Interlachen Jr. Sr. High School and is slated to open in the 2022-2023 school year. This program was developed after local stakeholder input and regional labor market data indicated it was a need in Putnam County. In addition to requests for funding to the state, we were also awarded a $100,000 grant from The Community Foundation of NE Florida through the Frank Oliver Foundation, a local organization that often supports PCSD programs. Right now we are at work renovating the facility, securing funding, selecting curriculum and networking with business and industry partners who can provide expertise on topics like OSHA 10, masonry, electrical, plumbing and much more. It is estimated that the US will need 157,000 construction workers in the next 10 years due to need and an aging workforce. These numbers do not include construction related trades like electrical, masonry, plumbing and HVAC which will also be explored in the curriculum for Building Construction Technology! #ProudtobePCSD

A credential attests to the qualification and competence of an individual to perform at a proficient level in a specific area. This proficiency is established by a third party with relevant authority and typically it is the ultimate demonstration of knowledge and skills in a particular program of study. Typically this proficiency is shown through some type of examination. Most of our CTE programs in Putnam County offer an industry certification exam that gives our students a credential in that particular field. Some of the certifications our students in CTE can challenge include: Agriculture Systems Associate, Agriculture Associate, Animal Science Specialist, Agritechnology Specialist, Comp TIA IT Fundamentals, 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator, Certified Medical Administrative Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, American Welding Society certifications, Emergency Medical Technician, Certified Food Service Protection Manager ServSafe, Certified Production Technician, Automotive Service Excellence certifications, and Florida Automobile Dealer’s Association certifications. In the last three years, Putnam County students have earned a total of 900 certifications/credentials! Students can use these credentials to go straight into the workforce or to have a leg up in post-high school education. Palatka Jr. Sr. High School has a special “wall of fame” for students who earn Industry Certifications in their CTE programs. Each student is recognized with a listing of the certifications earned in a particular career pathway.

DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that most CTE Students will continue to post-secondary education such as technical certifications? Most of these “career in a year” programs have salaries starting from $30,000 - $45,000 2 yr degrees or AS degrees (Career Pathways) starting from $35,000 - $60,000 Most programs also have pathways to Bachelor’s degree programs

2022 Black History Month Student and Educator Contests Student essay contest winners will receive a 4-Year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation! Link to more information here: http://floridablackhistory.com/index.html

This morning Janet Cauble, PCSD Career Specialist, and Amanda Burney, PCSD CTE Program Specialist joined George Deloach on WPLK 800 AM radio to talk about CTE Month. Tune in each Tuesday (and one Wednesday) for the rest of the month to hear from students and teachers that are immersed in our CTE Programs. Feb. 8: Palatka Jr. Sr. High School Feb 15: Dr. Rick Surrency, Superintendent Feb. 16: Crescent City Jr. Sr. High School Feb. 22: Interlachen Jr. Sr. High School Welding - Tad Deloach and Blake Derossett Mar 1: QI Roberts Jr. Sr. High School

The month of February is #BlackHistoryMonth. PCSD is proud to join our nation in celebrating and honoring the immeasurable contributions of Black Americans, their legacies and achievements in our history. #ProudtobePCSD

DID YOU KNOW? Did you know Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students of all ages with academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners? About 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE courses across the nation. CTE prepares learners for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies, and makes academic content accessible to students by providing hands-on experiences. The high school graduation rate for CTE concentrators is about 90%! —Advance CTE!

Mark your calendars for upcoming events around the county to celebrate CTE Month! *Every Tuesday, listen to WPLK or WQIK to hear about CTE Month from teachers, students and others that work closely with our programs. Listen around 7:20 am! *Feb 8: Palatka Jr Sr High School will have a CTE Showcase from 4-6 pm where you can come and see the programs in person. *Feb 16: Join Crescent City Jr. Sr. High School students on the radio at 7:20 am when they talk about the programs available in their neck of the woods! *Mar 1: QI Roberts Jr. Sr. High School will have a CTE Showcase from 4-6 pm where you can come and see the programs in person.

Today starts our celebration of CTE Month! CTE Month is a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of Career and Technical Education programs and teachers across the country. In Putnam County, we have CTE programs at all four of our high schools! CTE is no longer just your mama's home economics class or your dad's shop class. In Putnam County, PCSD schools offer a variety of CTE programs to our students; Health Science, Advanced Manufacturing, Firefighting and EMR, Business Management and Entrepreneurial Principles, Agriculture, Vystar banking, Criminal Justice, Automotive, Welding, Culinary, Aerospace Technology, and Exploration Robotics Technology. THANK YOU Seminole Electric, Revels Pepper Farm, and SignGypsies for helping us celebrate CTE Month!

All PCSD campuses and offices will be closed Monday, January 17 in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Classes will resume Tuesday, January 18.

Our 6th-12th TSIC students toured SJRSC and learned about dual enrollment, career pathways, scholarship opportunities, & financial aid. What a great opportunity for our students to start exploring the options available to them for their post secondary education. #ProudtobePCSD