Approximately 100 students from across the Merced Union High School District participated in the first-ever CTE Competition at the Atwater Community Center on Tuesday morning. Eighteen different teams from Atwater, Buhach Colony, El Capitan, Golden Valley, Livingston and Merced high schools made presentations to judging panels made up of community industry experts. The event was an opportunity to highlight MUHSD’s high-quality CTE pathways, industry engagement and college and career readiness.

 

“This was a way to get teams from every industry in one place and focus more on career-ready practices,” said Tiffani Gong, the K-12 Pathway Coordinator, Merced Community College District and Program Administrator, MUHSD. “Even though they are getting industry feedback, they’re really getting feedback on employability skills, professionalism, presentation and that is invaluable feedback.”

 

Students were asked to identify a real problem in their industry sector. They were then asked to design a solution, product, prototype or campaign and then present a live pitch to the judge panel. 

The event brought students from Education & Child Development, Engineering & Architecture, Building & Construction Trades, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Art, Media & Entertainment, Fashion & Interior Design, Information & Communication Technology, Health Science & Medical Technology and Public Services. “Not only are they getting to see each other, they’re getting real live feedback from local community experts,” Gong said. “This is a starting point. We’d like to do this annually but we’d also like to see how we can break it up so that we can have more teams participate. It’s great that we have every school represented here this year, we have 10 out of the 14 industries represented here so that in itself is an accomplishment.”

 

Students presented projects like a Student Hub Project in Livingston, which would be an alternate study or social space for students outside the classroom and cafeteria. Horticulture 2 students from El Capitan did their presentation on Gaucho Gardens. There were presentations about art, first aid in sports and the decision law enforcement officers make when it comes to use of force, which included an arrest scenario.

Many of the judges said they were blown away by the presentations and creativity of the students. “I really wish we had this when I was in high school,” said Christie Bryant, who owns Bryant Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy and was one of the judges. I think this helps students build exposure, they can build a platform to take their ideas and get them out there in the community and the real world. It’s remarkable to see their use of technology. That wasn’t something available to us when I was in school. To be able to use it for very good causes and to help the community with more outreach support, which is a huge need that we have in Merced. It’s neat to see their ideas, they’re so creative and honestly, it’s really inspiring.”

 

The students appreciated the opportunity to show off some of their skills and ideas. “Today was about showing our ideas that we can offer to all of our students in the District,” said Atwater High senior Damian Garcia, who is part of the AHS Patient Care Pathway. “Our idea was to create a website so that all students across the District can have access to healthcare opportunities.  Working with my group was great. Everyone did well and did their part, especially during our presentation. Honestly, I’m proud of my group and the work we did. This is the start of something good. We can all kind of pitch in our ideas that can become reality.”

Livingston High senior Belen Covarrubias said it was great participating in a competition close to home. Their only other competition was in Sacramento.  “I enjoy just showing off what we do, since it's a new pathway,” Covarrubias said. “A lot of people, even at my school, don't even know that we have an architecture pathway. So I feel it's cool to get it out there that yeah, we can design this building, we did this and we know how to do these things.”

 

Gong says having the competition in Merced County gives some students an opportunity they might not have. “The idea behind it is to have equitable experiences for all students,” Gong said.

“A big thank you,because it takes a community. Our industry panel is magnificent. Our teachers did a great job organizing and planning, and our student teams have been phenomenal.”

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.