• Advisory Committee Event and Meeting – February 23, 6 pm
• PM Nursing Pinning Ceremony – February 24, 7 pm
• GeorgeFest Parade – February 25, 10 am (If your students want to participate, ask them to see David Beliveau)
• Teacher of the Year Event – February 25, 6 pm
• SkillsUSA Regional Competition – March 1-3
• Operation TEAMWORK – March 10 at Lake Tech

Academic Affairs

Arts, AV & Communication
Our first four completers of Digital Design 1! Imagine that… they’re the same four representing Lake Tech at SkillsUSA Regional competition March 1-3. We’re intensely training to make a great show in two short weeks! Our Regional President is Caleb Jensen, who is also competing in Advertising Design.

This week, we are spotlighting Kassie Cozart who completed the Commercial Art 1 program last year. She has been hired at Lake Magazine (even before completing the program) and has already had a promotion. Kassie is working close with Ron Williams and the Scotts Combat Firefighting Challenge creating posters, flyers, a media kit, and other collateral. Last week, she attended a meeting with the national coordinators of the Challenge and was highly complimented for her work.

There is still space for a few more Digital Design students. If you know of anyone in your circle of friends who might have relatives, kids, high school students, or anyone else they know who are creative and need a career, please have them to talk to Kerrie Johnson.

Health Science
The Paramedic students are working on advanced skills and recently received instruction about ventricular assist devices (VAD) from Pam Brennan. Pam is a coordinator with the Tampa General Hospital VAD program which is the 4th busiest of its kind in the U.S. This device is used by patients who are awaiting heart transplants and they are becoming more and more common. We’d like to thank Ms. Brennan very much for her great instruction and insight.

In addition, the students had a chance to work with the motor vehicle incident prop which has been on campus for the past couple of weeks.

Law, Public Safety & Security
Chief Ron Williams continues to organize and prepare for the very exciting Scott Fire Fighter Combat Challenge which will be held on April 13-15. Mark your calendars today! This is going to be a very exciting event. Check out a past Challenge on YouTube

Thursday is the last day for Night Law Vehicle Operations. All of the students have done well, learned a bunch, and had a great time. Day Law students are in the middle of two different blocks: Communications and Defensive Tactics. Next Friday is chemical agent spray day! The class cannot wait!!

Adult Education
Trudy Dailey, Brent Stubbs, and the Adult Education team are currently developing material to distribute to the community and feature on the Career Pathways website. Cluster leaders have been given the information to review so we can develop cluster visuals.

Did you know that we have 26 part-time instructors in our Adult Education program? Wow! We could not do Adult Education without them. Special thanks to our many part-time instructors who work tirelessly throughout the county to deliver a high-quality and student-centric learning experience.

Back on the main campus, our AAAE classroom has been quite busy – a lot of students doing a lot of studying. In fact, the classes are so full on the main campus that we need more room. We certainly don’t want a waiting list of students – we want to meet their educational needs now! Some out of the box solutions are being developed to solve this exciting problem!

This week, the students worked on some interesting and informative pull-out lessons on descriptive writing, developing topic paragraphs, homonyms, area and perimeter, plant terminology, and vegetable gardening. 

Did you know tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash are really fruit?

And, as we like to say around here: “GED…It’s just the beginning!”

Student Affairs

Grants
Betty Jones attended the monthly Lake County grants meeting this past week. She has a list of several new grants to begin working on, especially for the South Lake area. In addition, she and Layne Hendrickson are exploring the possibility of writing a grant to create a mobile simulation classroom, which can be used on the main campus, in Sumter County, and in Mascotte for EMS and Nursing students.

Scholarship Opportunities for your Dual Enrollment Students
If you have a dual enrolled student from Eustis High School, please let him/her know that the Woman’s Club of Eustis is offering a $500 scholarship to a EHS student who wants to enroll at Lake Tech upon graduation. The application is posted on the high school’s website.

The Villages Motor Racing Fan Club is offering a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior from Lake, Sumter, or Marion County who has motor racing interests and who will be pursuing higher education in a field related to the world of motor racing. Here are the requirements:

• Must live in Lake, Sumter, or Marion County
• Applicant must be accepted to an institution of higher education (technical centers included) on a full time basis
• Must have at least a 2.5 GPA
• Applicant must submit an acceptance letter for the higher education institution, a high school transcript, 2 non-family letters of reference, and a 2-page essay describing his/her interests in motor sports and the applicant’s long-range career objectives
• Deadline – March 31

If you have any graduating seniors who are interested in applying for this scholarship, please ask them to see Mrs. Jones in Admissions.

Marketing

A webinar entitled “Social Media for Small Shops” will be available on Tuesday, February 28 from 2 – 3 pm. If you are interested in participating, please let Debbie Zaharis know. This webinar is specifically designed to assist technical schools and colleges with their social media impact.

Around Campus

Kathy Roberts and Pam Netherton are spearheading “Operation TEAMWORK” at Lake Tech on March 10. Due to generous contributions by Jon’s Nursery and Scotts, we have plants, enriched soil, and mulch to be used to spruce up Lake Tech. Since many of the current plants are past their prime, they need to be removed. We will be planting fresh plants and spreading mulch. We are looking for eager volunteers who are strong and tough and willing to offer their time, muscle, and energy. This is not a garden party, we will be looking to you to help us remove some of the older plants who have dug their roots deeply into the soil. If you don’t like to play and get dirty, we will also need helpers in the kitchen to keep our volunteers fed and hydrated.

If you can’t commit for the day, an hour or two would be great! Please respond to Kathy Roberts at robertsk1@lake.k12.fl.us to let us know that you are interested and if there is something special that you have to contribute.

In the Community

Kudos to Tom Netherton, Bob Zehner, Mark Prescott, Brent Stubbs, Trudy Dailey, Debbie Zaharis, Dr. Culpepper, James Spencer, Jr., instructors, and students for working together to produce an exciting video that will be featured on the Lake County Government website. Your hard work was appreciated. Tom’s creativity is reflected in the video. As soon as it is posted, we will share the link so you will be able to view it.

Lake Tech is going to participate in several community events in the next month! Of course, on Feb. 25th we’ll have a float in the Eustis Chamber GeorgeFest Parade. Mark Prescott, the Auto Collision team, and Digital Design team have been working hard to make sure we have a float that reflects the “Made in America” theme. Please encourage your students to participate by either riding on the float or walking along the parade route.

Mark your calendars for March 14th. We will have a booth from 1 pm until 7 pm at the Mt. Dora/Tavares Joint Chamber Business Expo at Lake Receptions in Mount Dora. Please encourage your students to attend this great networking opportunity.

Also, on March 17, Chuck Durante, GED Instructor, and Steve Bagg, HVAC/Solar Instructor, will represent Lake Tech at the Green Festival which will be held at Cooper Memorial Library from 10 am until 2 pm.

Kudos to Lake Tech Kiddos!

Nathan Rosenglick, son of instructor Sonya Rosenglick, placed first in the Web Page Creation – Middle School at the Future Business Leaders of America District awards ceremony which was held Friday, February 18.

Celia DeLibro, daughter of Lt. Chris DeLibro, was named the Disney Dreamer and Doer representing Triangle Elementary School.

Congratulations to these outstanding kids!

February is CTE Month

Mark Your Calendars!

• Advisory Committee Event and Meeting – February 23, 6 pm
• PM Nursing Pinning Ceremony – February 24, 7 pm
• GeorgeFest Parade – February 25, 10 am (If your students want to participate, ask them to see David Beliveau)

• Teacher of the Year Event – February 25, 6 pm

Academic Affairs

Education and Training
For those people thinking about a career as a child care worker… Classes began on January 21. Students can register online at www.myflorida.com/childcare/training. Before registration is complete, payment must be received in Admissions. The cost has recently been decreased (yes, decreased) so check it out! Students must pass a state competency test in order to receive a certificate. Test registration information will be given during the first day of class. Classes meet either Tuesday evening or Saturday and are held at the Lake Tech main campus.

Are you involved in Pinterest? Pinterest is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website where users can create and manage theme based image collections (Wikipedia). Pinterest has hit 10 million US monthly unique visitors faster than any other standalone website ever. Many of the collections are devoted to projects that teachers and especially early childhood education teachers and workers might be very interesting in sharing with others. Childcare Instructor Kathy Roberts came up with a great use for her program. She has created a Lake Tech Early Childhood Education Pinterest account and her students are able to post and share ideas. Pretty cool – check with Kathy to learn more.

Health Science
Students in the Medical Assisting program continue to progress in their program. As students finish a course, instructor Beth Thornton has them move their “key” to the next level on the bulletin board in the classroom. This visual motivates students to achieve and encourages others who are not there yet! This week, three students completed their third course and moved their keys!

Hospitality & Tourism
Buy a Sweet for a Sweetie!! The Culinary students are making yummy sweet treats just in time for Valentine’s Day. Place your orders now for cookies, cupcakes, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Law, Public Safety & Security

Through the Institute of Public Safety, two specialized classes were offered. The first was an Instructor Techniques class that started last week. The second was a class called Special Tactical Problems for Corrections and is being taught at the Lake County Jail.

Day Law is in their Communications block the first half of the day and Defensive Tactics the second half of day. They are very sore, but progressing nicely. Night Law is on the driving range for the first week and doing well, still trying to get some over their fears.

Chief Ron Williams continues to organize and prepare for the very exciting Scott Fire Fighter Combat Challenge which will be held on April 13-15. Mark your calendars today! This is going to be a very exciting event.

Transportation & Logistics
The Auto Collision and Digital Design programs have been working together preparing the float for the City of Eustis GeorgeFest parade. The Digital Design students used their design skills to layout the letters and scroll. The Auto Collision students practiced using the vinyl cutting machine in order to place the letters on the float.

Adult Education
Cooking up some new vocabulary words?? Students in the ESOL classes on the main campus had a real treat when Instructors Marvina Hooper and Pasty Bell prepared pancakes. Check out the words on the board – real hands on instruction going on!!

Student Affairs

Scholarship Opportunities for your Dual Enrollment Students

If you have a dual enrolled student from Eustis High School, please let him/her know that the Woman’s Club of Eustis is offering a $500 scholarship to an EHS student who wants to enroll at Lake Tech upon graduation. The application is posted on the Eustis High School’s website.

The Villages Motor Racing Fan Club is offering a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior from Lake, Sumter, or Marion County who has motor racing interests and who will be pursuing higher education in a field related to the world of motor racing. Here are the requirements:

• Must be living in Lake, Sumter, or Marion County
• Applicant must be accepted to an institution of higher education (technical centers included) on a full time basis
• Must have at least a 2.5 GPA
• Applicant must submit an acceptance letter for the higher education institution, a high school transcript, 2 non-family letters of reference, and a 2-page essay describing his/her interests in motor sports and the applicant’s long-range career objectives
• Deadline – March 31

If you have any graduating seniors who are interested in applying for this scholarship, please ask them to see Mrs. Jones in Admissions.

Legislative Update

The 2012 Legislative Session Bill Tracking spreadsheet is available on the Legislation page at fldoe.org. To access the bills, please click on the bill number in the spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is updated every week.

In the Community

Check out Lake Tech’s table at the Eustis Chamber GeorgeFest Kickoff meeting this week! Thanks to Trudy Daily, Kerrie Johnson, and the Culinary team for an awesome display.

DeAnna Thomas represented Lake Tech on the Master Teacher panel for Leadership Lake held at Lake Sumter Community College on February 8. From what I hear, she rocked!!

Diane Culpepper attended the Lake County Aerospace Roundtable session held at the Leesburg Airport on February 9.

Around Campus

Have you noticed the covered bus shelter being erected at the front of the school? We will be thankful when it’s finished so our students can wait for the bus when there is bad weather without fear of getting wet!

Lake Technical Center’s Advisory Committee Reception will be held on Thursday, February 23 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the main campus Student Center located at 2001 Kurt Street in Eustis. Students from the Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts program will display their culinary talents by preparing and serving appetizers and desserts. Students will also showcase their garde manger (vegetable and fruit carvings) skills.

Following the reception, the advisory committees will meet in their given program areas. The advisory committees are made up of business and industry professionals who provide guidance and support for the programs. Committee members meet several times each year to give input on program curricula in order to ensure that training addresses the needs of our regional workforce. The advisory committees play a key role in the success of Lake Tech and perform an important service to the students and citizens of Lake County.

“The activities planned over the next month will illustrate how we much we value the support of business and industry and recognize that in today’s world, partnerships are very important to the success of our community,” said Diane Culpepper, Director of Lake Technical Center. “CTE programs are investing in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees as well as future leaders.”

CTE is a major part of the solution to myriad national economic and workforce problems, such as high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require a postsecondary career certificate or associate’s degree. Recent research published by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that 4.7 million new workers with post-secondary certificates and credentials, such as those which can be obtained at Lake Technical Center, will be needed by 2018. Unfortunately, the nation will fall short of meeting that demand. At a time when job opportunity is so critical, CTE programs in every community are ensuring students are adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.

Participants and spectators of the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge event are entitled to discounted tickets for area Central Florida theme parks! For further details, visit http://centralfloridasports.org/firefighters/

Schedule of Events:

• April 13: 1:00p Golf Tournament at Mission Inn
• April 14: Registration begins at 9:00a, Individual Competition 11:00a-4:00p
• April 15: Registration begins at 7:00a, Tandem and Relays at 9:00a-until complete

Three-day Event Includes:

• Individual & Team Competition
• Unique Kids’ Challenge Course
• Free Entertainment
• Food Vendors
• Golf Tournament
• Fire Equipment Vendors
• Fire Prevention Education

The Course Includes:

• 5-Story Tower Climb w/hose pack
• Hose Hoist
• Forcible Entry w/the Keiser Force Machine
• Slalom Course & Hose Drag
• Victim Rescue w/175lb Rescue Randy

Sponsors:

Lake Technical Center
City of Tavares
Lake County, Florida
Mission Inn Resort & Club
Ford Press

The students of the month will receive a certificate of achievement, lunch with Dr. Culpepper, Director, and a balloon arrangement.

Mark Your Calendars!

• Advisory Committee Event and Meeting – February 23, 6 pm
• PM Nursing Pinning Ceremony – February 24, 7 pm
• GeorgeFest Parade – February 25, 10 am
• Teacher of the Year Event – February 25, 6 pm

 Academic Affairs

Arts, AV & Communication
Monday was the SkillsUSA Regional Qualifier for the Advertising Design contest which will be held in March. Five judges made up of successful working graduates and advisory committee members spent the day scoring, critiquing and advising students individually. The contest consisted of a knowledge portion where students took a written test on basic graphic design principles and production rules and a creative portion where they designed a flyer incorporating photos, type and a logo. Finally each student presented his or her printed proof to the judges one at a time. It was a stressful day, pushing the limits of skills combined with “out of the box” creativity within a tight deadline. Certificates were awarded to everyone. When it was all over, they all said it was their best day here yet! Three adults and one high school student will now be representing Lake Tech in this event. Another adult will compete in the Prepared Speech event.

Two new Digital Design students started this week!

Education and Training
For those thinking about a career as a child care worker… Classes began on January 21. Students can register online at www.myflorida.com/childcare/training. Before registration is complete, payment must be received in Admissions. The cost has recently been decreased (yes, decreased) so check it out! Students must pass a state competency test in order to receive a certificate. Test registration information will be given during the first day of class. Classes meet either Tuesday evening or Saturday and are held at the Lake Tech main campus.

Human Services
We are preparing for the Region 3 Skills Competition in Cosmetology. We held a run-off competition on Monday to determine which students would represent our program at the Regional contest being held March 2, 2012. Advisory committee members and previous students came in to judge the contest. The students were able to “experience” exactly what competition would be like, and really set the bar high! Two of the judges have served previously in judging at the Regional level, and made the comment that our students were very prepared, and knew exactly what had to be executed to “get the job done”. The winners of the run-off contest are now working diligently to perfect their skills and get ready to bring home the gold at the Regional contest!!

All of the registration is complete for the Regional contest and I am proud to say we have 32 competitors, 9 models and 5 advisors that will be representing Lake Tech at the contest. These students are from the Administrative Assistant, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Digital Design, Facial Specialty and Nail Specialty programs.

Transportation & Logistics
The Auto Collision and Digital Design programs have been working together preparing the float for the City of Eustis GeorgeFest parade. The Digital Design students used their design skills in the layout of the letters and scroll. The Auto Collision students utilized the vinyl cutting machine in order to place the letters on the float.

Student Affairs

The Lake Tech GED testing staff has been busy! For the second half of 2011, there have been 259 people who have tested and who received their high school credential. This total includes 29 men and 9 women who tested at the Lake County Jail. So far, we are up 28% over last year!

Happy Birthday Dr. Lindamood!

Legislative Update

The 2012 Legislative Session Bill Tracking spreadsheet is available on the Legislation page at fldoe.org. To access the bills, please click on the bill number in the spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is updated every week.

Marketing

It’s time to celebrate our success! Students and faculty at Lake Tech will join others across the nation during the month of February to celebrate national Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. This year’s theme is CTE: Careers Through Education. Lake Tech celebrations include participating in the Eustis Chamber’s Georgefest, the annual advisory committee reception and meeting, and on February 25, we’ll have a float in the Eustis Washington Birthday Festival Parade. Trudy Dailey, Kerrie Johnson, Chef Aro, and the culinary students are designing our table for the kick-off Georgefest breakfast. Chef Aro and students will be doing patriotic fruit and vegetable carvings and Kerrie Johnson will be creating program flags! Trudy Dailey and Kerrie Johnson will be setting up the table Wednesday evening.

Technology

Sonya Rosenglick and Betty Jones will be attending a one-day symposium on February 8 sponsored by the Florida Distance Learning Consortium. The goal of the symposium is to provide attendees with an understanding of state and national initiatives regarding digital and open textbooks.

Mascotte

A very dedicated team of Lake Techies spent Friday and Saturday at the Mascotte facility cleaning, installing computers, and preparing for additional classes. Pictures are always better than words – so see for yourself!

The floors are shiny and the furniture and equipment is next as we prepare for the new nursing class that will start in April.

Mark Tijerina making everything clean and nice!

Bob Zehner installing computers.

Jack Miller exhausted after two long days of hard labor!

Solar film classes already underway.

The GED Prep classroom.

When the Fall 2012 Term Begins, Lake Tech will open its virtual bookstore and marketplace. This innovative approach will allow students to buy books and supplies online, buy used books, and sell back their books. We will pilot the virtual bookstore with a couple of programs that have start dates this spring and summer before we become completely virtual in August. We are excited that our students will be able to save money and time!

Mark Your Calendars!

• Advisory Committee Event and Meeting – February 23, 6 pm
• GeorgeFest Parade – February 25, 10 am
• Teacher of the Year Event – February 25, 6 pm

Academic Affairs

Arts, AV & Communication
Digital Design students completed their first big design project – timed and combining two software program skills. They each designed postcards for two locations, with specific client requirements. It was much more challenging than they thought with a deadline component, but very exciting to see their bookwork applied to a real marketing piece. The printed postcards will be in the display case outside of the class (that’s B-bldg if you haven’t visited in a while).

Monday morning is going to be a big deal for Digital Design as we will host the SkillUSA Qualifier for the Advertising Design contest. This will determine the three adult students who will represent Lake Tech at the Regional level. Six judges, consisting of Advisory Committee members and graduates who are very successful graphic designers, will be on campus to judge and give the students direct feedback. It’s sure to be a great Monday!

Business Management & Administration
Six new students started the Accounting and Administrative Assistant programs on Monday. They are all doing well and the online Discussion Boards are lively. One student has come in with a great deal of work experience and has contributed invaluable information to the Employability Skills discussions. What a great opportunity for the dual-enrolled students!

Last Tuesday, the Accounting Operations students came back to class excited about the past week they spent being trained as a tax preparer. All of the students earned their certificate and said that although the tax laws were not difficult, the program they learned, TaxWise, was a challenge. We’re proud of them all for earning their certificate and beginning the volunteer tax preparation for the United Way.

The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, provided by United Way of Lake and Sumter (UWLS) Counties, is entering its fourth year of operations. If your household income was $50,000 or less in 2011 you qualify for FREE Tax preparation through the VITA program.

United Way’s goal is to save its residents hundreds of dollars in tax preparation fees and high interest rate loans associated with Rapid Refund offers. Last year, UWLS filed 449 tax returns, and this year the goal is to double that number. In addition to saving filers tax preparation fees, United Way’s IRS-certified volunteers make every effort to ensure taxpayers receive their often unclaimed credits. Last year’s average refund was over $6,000. Taxpayers will receive their refunds in 7-10 days with free e-filing and direct deposit. United Way will offer VISA bankcards for tax filers without a bank account to receive their refunds.

United Way is offering a self-serve FAST site at Lake Tech. FAST sites are geared toward individuals who are computer literate and may only need some assistance in preparing their own tax return. Computers, tax software and trained volunteers are provided to help individuals prepare their own tax returns. No appointments are necessary for the FAST site. The FAST site will open in February.

Education and Training
For those people thinking about a career as a child care worker… Classes began on January 21. Students can register online at www.myflorida.com/childcare/training. Before registration is complete, payment must be received in Admissions. The cost has recently been decreased (yes, decreased) so check it out! Students must pass a state competency test in order to receive a certificate. Test registration information will be given during the first day of class. Classes meet either Tuesday evening or Saturday and are held at the Lake Tech main campus.

Health Science
The Evening LPN students will be graduating very soon!! The Day LPN students celebrated with them by providing pizza and cake for lunch on Friday. The students and instructors enjoyed the yummy food and especially the fact that they are almost finished with the program. On February 21, six employer representatives will be on campus for a mini-career fair. All of the Evening LPN students will have the opportunity to discuss job openings with the recruiters.

Last Friday, the first class of Patient Care Technicians graduated. Instructor Kathy Girard was very proud of her group!

The Medical Assisting students are learning to draw blood – so if you faint at the sight of it – don’t stop by the classroom!!

Instructor Beth Thornton will hold monthly information sessions for the Medical Assisting program. Through the sessions, which will be held the first Tuesday of the month at 4 pm, potential students will be provided with the opportunity to learn more about the program and the specifics about how to enroll.

Human Services
The Cosmetology students who are SkillsUSA members will be having a “run-off” competition on Monday with guest judges. This contest will determine which students will represent Lake Tech at the regional contests in March. Good luck students!

Adult Education
We’ve had a great start to our second semester. First of all, many of our previous students re-enrolled and many wonderful new students joined us. We are excited to work with all of them. Second, thanks to the wonderful new posters that our department purchased, the room is looking very professional. These posters show former GED and AAAE students in the various programs at Lake Tech and serve to encourage our current students to continue their education and pursue their goals. Last, but not least, we’ve had several students test this week and achieve amazing scores. One of these students moved up to the GED level and another completed our program and entered the Auto Collision program.

As you may know, enrollments in Adult Education have been adversely affected throughout the state by the new tuition policy. Our programs were not immune. Nevertheless, we know that where there is a will, there is a way. We are happy to announce that through some strong recruitment efforts, enrollment is on its way back—and with some effort, may even exceed last year’s marks. Also, we are happy to announce that enrollment at the new Mascotte location started strong. Check out these pictures for proof:

In addition, Adult Education at Lake Tech is going through a “re-branding” process. This process is about focusing on career pathways in some new and different ways. We want our students to understand that GED is, truly, just the beginning. Here is a picture of our new banner that will be used for marketing and class engagement:

Student Affairs

Lots of January birthdays in the Admissions Department this month. The team took a few minutes to celebrate!

Staff Development

Webinar: Free Resources for Literacy and ESL Instruction on Wednesday, February 8th at 3:00 pm Presented by: Todd Evans, Technology and Product Training Coordinator

Marketing

Did you know that we have begun advertising in the Lake County high schools’ newsletters? We are hoping students see Lake Tech as a viable option upon graduation from high school and also a way to jump start their careers through dual enrollment. Check out the ad that is currently running.

In the Community

• Jack Miller and Diane Culpepper will be attending a tour of GW Schultz in Tavares sponsored by the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida.
• Trudy Dailey will be decorating a table for the February 8 Eustis Chamber Breakfast. Our theme is “Made in America – A Career in a Year!” The table decorations will be part of the George Washington birthday festivities culminating in the GeorgeFest parade on February 25 at 10 am. Of course, Lake Tech will have a float in the parade again this year.
• Diane Culpepper will be making a presentation about the Lake Tech and the new Mascotte facility to the Education Committee of the South Lake Chamber on February 6.
• DeAnna Thomas will be part of a panel discussion at Leadership Lake Education Day on February 8.
• Lake Tech will participate in the South Lake Community Green Festival on Saturday, March 17.

Academic Affairs

Business Management & Administration
Instructor Sonya Rosenglick has been working diligently on moving OCP B, Front Desk Specialist, to an online format. She has finalized it and it will be implemented beginning January 23.

Education and Training
For those people thinking about a career as a child care worker… Classes begin on January 21. Students can register online at www.myflorida.com/childcare/training. Before registration is complete, payment must be received in Admissions. The cost has recently been decreased (yes, decreased) so check it out! Students must pass a state competency test in order to receive a certificate. Test registration information will be given during the first day of class. Classes meet either Tuesday evening or Saturday and are held at the Lake Tech main campus.

Health Science
Karen Walker, ARNP, Lake Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center representative, presented information on child abuse to all the health science students. The important topic was of interest to our students as they will need to know the signs of child abuse as well as the laws protecting children. The topic was intense, but our students greatly appreciated the information.

The next Patient Care Tech program will begin January 23 and several options are available for students:

• If a student comes in and wants CNA, that program will be scheduled January 23-February 28.
• If people who are CNAs want to add HHA only, that program will be offered March 1–9.
• • Additional CNA/HHA programs will be offered beginning March 12 and April 30.
• If a person who already has his/her CNA/HHA wants PCT, he/she would begin the PCT program on March 12, 2012.

As you can see, the Health Science Department has structured next semester’s CNA, HHA, and PCT programs so that we can offer a number of options to our community.

Law, Public Safety & Security
The Night Law Enforcement Recruits finished up Defensive Tactics this week and all did well. They are now preparing for “Spray Day” Saturday the 14th. 

The Day Law Enforcement Recruits finished their first week and have just started the First Aid block of training.

The Line Supervision class just finished up the first week of training and all received a copy of Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge.

Adult Education
This has been an exciting week in the AAAE classroom. A former student and a current student received their GED certificates and brought them in so we could celebrate with them. We are sooo proud for them!!! We also has eight students take the TABE. All showed tremendous improvement and six of them achieved scores of 12.9!!! WOW!! They earned this by working very, very hard. Several of these students are currently in programs at Lake Tech and a few others can now start their programs. Also, two of our students started the solar film installation class being held at the former Mascotte Elementary facility and told us it was really fun and interesting.

Student Affairs

Lots of people tested last week! Diane Hutchinson reported 33 testers on Monday and 48 on Thursday! These numbers may be a record – Diane was simply exhausted!

Admissions will not open until 8:30 am on January 20 so that the Admissions team can have their monthly meeting.

Marketing

During the next few weeks over 20,000 of these flyers will be distributed throughout Lake County.

We are excited about “re-branding” adult education. When people think adult education at Lake Tech, we want them to think: “GED…It’s just the Beginning“. Why? Because that is what we do. We don’t just teach fractions, essay writing, and social studies. We change lives and re-set the course for those who have found themselves off of the path they intended. The first step, of course, is signing up for class. So, tell someone about us! Do you have friends in Mascotte? Did you know we are opening up a new ESOL and GED day class at the former Mascotte Elementary School? GED…It’s just the Beginning.

Students must pass a state competency test to receive a certificate. Test registration information will be given at the first class. Classes meet either Tuesday evening or Saturday and are held at the Lake Tech main campus.

On Wednesday, January 11, counselors from all eight Lake County Schools high schools will be spending the day at Lake Tech! During the day, they will have the chance to spend time in our programs participating in interactive, hands-on experiences. The counselors will also enjoy lunch created by our own Culinary program and go to the Institute of Public Safety. Each counselor will receive a resource notebook containing all the pertinent Lake Tech information. The purpose of the day will be to showcase Lake Tech for both dual-enrollment and after-graduation opportunities so that when the counselors return to their schools, they will have a better understanding of the options Lake Tech has available for high school students and graduates.

Academic Affairs

Arts, A/V & Technology

Students in the Digital Design program hit the ground running on Wednesday, jumping right back into it with lessons on printing ink. Students learned how to format Photoshop images with a bleed and place them in InDesign on Friday. If you don’t know what a “bleed” is, ask any Digital Design student! It’s great to see their passion and excitement as the whole process is coming together for them now!

Kassie Cozart, who is in Digital Design 2, was promoted to Art Director of the Lake Magazine (highest design position next to the Publisher) and Kristen Haskins (a 2011 Lake Tech Commercial Art graduate) was recently hired as a graphic designer there. Look at the inside pages and see their names posted in the “Masthead” – it’s that page that lists the names of the people are who make the magazine happen – a highly coveted thing for every graphic designer.

Instructor Kerrie Johnson is now on the Lake Minneola HS / East Ridge HS Commercial Art Advisory Committee. The first meeting of the 2011-12 school year was held the Thursday before winter break. It’s an honor to be included and will allow Ms. Johnson to establish relationships that will reinforce all of our programs, as well as lead to students finishing their design training at Lake Tech.

Lake Tech is becoming well-known for producing good designers in our business community, but we need the word to spread so more students will enroll in Digital Design. Jobs are waiting!

Health Science

Lake Tech is offering a variety of short-term health programs/classes during the Spring 2012 Term:

• Phlebotomy, for currently employed healthcare workers, will be offered T/W evenings from 5:00 – 9:30 pm, January 24 – April 5 or April 10 – June 5.
• Nursing Assistant Articulated/Home Health Aide program will be offered M-F from 8:15 a.m.-2:45 p.m., beginning January 23, March 12, or April 30.
• Patient Care Technician (PCT) will be offered M-F from 8:15 – 2:45 p.m. beginning on January 23. Certified nursing assistants may join the PCT Program on March 1, and Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides may join the PCT program on March 12.
• Lake Tech is also offering CPR, CPR Refresher, and First Aid classes.

Hospitality & Tourism

Culinary student Travis Roy will be graduating very soon and articulating into Valencia College’s pastry program. His final project was on display in the dining room on Friday.

Human Services

The Cosmetology program is preparing for the arrival of 34 new students on January 23! We have senior students working very hard to course complete and prepare for the state board examination.

Seventeen Cosmetology students want to compete in the SkillsUSA Regional Contest. We are having a campus contest at Lake Tech on January 30 to determine which of those students will go on to represent our program at the Region 3 contest on March 1 & 2 in Winter Haven, Florida. Some of the students even came in during the Winter Break to practice their haircutting skills for the contest. They worked really hard, and did a great job on the long layered haircut. The pictures included were taken on the practice day over the break. That’s what we call “Above and Beyond!”

Law, Public Safety & Security

Lake Tech’s Fire Academy, in partnership with Lake County and the City of Tavares, proudly announces the annual Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, April 13-15, 2012. The event is being offered to promote the physical fitness of fire fighters. The challenge will be the season opener of the 20-plus Scott Firefighter Combat Challenges to be held throughout the United States in 2012. Mission Inn will be the host hotel for the three-day event. While you must be a fire fighter to take part in the competition, the public is encouraged to watch as the participants navigate the challenge course or “The Toughest Two Minutes in Sports”. High school students who are interested in a fire fighting career are also invited to attend the event. Businesses and individuals who want to be an event sponsor should contact Ron Williams at retfc2@yahoo.com.

The equipment is beginning to arrive and excitement is building for this event!

The Night Law class is studying defensive tactics this week and progressing well. Next week starts our new Day Law class and we are all looking forward to getting back to teaching fresh minds.

Line Supervision starts next week. This is a class for currently working officers throughout the county. Several guest speakers have been invited to speak to the class, including Sheriff Gary Borders, and several Chiefs of Police from around the county including one of our Charter Board Members, Chief Fred Cobb. If anyone is interested in hearing them speak you are welcome to sit in on the class. Please contact Sgt. Russell Edwards for the speaking schedule.

Transportation & Logistics

The Auto Collision students worked with the Digital Design students to complete a sign project for Lake Tech’s Mascotte site. It was installed by Jack Miller over the winter break.

Auto Service Technology instructor Mark McKinney has been organizing and upgrading his shop over the past couple of weeks. The tool room is almost complete and looks brand new!

Adult Education

It is a new year, and students are embracing the opportunity to learn new trades and skills to better themselves within their job, or to prepare for new career opportunities that may avail them in the 2012 job market.

They do this through hard work, and our GED/AAAE lab has some dedicated students who studied over the winter break and came back ready to do practice tests. One of our students took her math TABE test and got a 12.9 and is now ready to finish her practical nursing program in February! Everyone is focused and ready to make this new year count.

Classes are ready to kick into high gear at the new Mascotte site. Flyers have been distributed in the community and people are getting excited about the opportunity for GED and ESOL classes in the south end of the county.

Finally, our vegetable garden has been producing over the holiday break. We have tomatoes and peppers ready to pick, and nasturtium flowers which can be added to salads. We do not have enough yet to have a whole meal, but maybe soon!

Student Affairs

As a charter school, we are required to have a Parent Involvement Facilitator. Lana Taylor was selected by the Charter Board to serve in this role. She can be reached at 352.589-2250.

Admissions, Testing, and Financial Aid have been busy, like REALLY BUSY this week!!!! Congratulations to an outstanding staff for working hard to meet our customers’ needs. Thanks! And if you didn’t notice, it was so busy that counselor Art Seidner only had time to get half a hair cut!

Staff Development Opportunities

Several online staff development opportunities are available through the Florida Association of Career and Technical Education (FACTE). The classes usually last 4-6 weeks, and MIP points are available. Check them out at www.facte.org.

• Web Conferencing: January 16, 2012 – February 12, 2012– Online Course – Live Sessions on Mondays
• Technology Basics: January 17, 2012 – February 13, 2012– Online Course – Live Sessions on Tuesdays
• Connected Classrooms– Part I: February 6, 2012 – March 11, 2012 – Online Course – Live Sessions on Monday
• Technology: Feast or Famine: February 21, 2012 – March 19, 2012 – Online Course – Live Sessions on Tuesdays
• Classroom Management for CTE: February 23, 2012– March 29, 2012- Online Course – Live Sessions on Thursdays
• Connected Classrooms– Part II: March 19, 2012 – April 22, 2012 – Online Course – Live Sessions on Monday
• Connected Classrooms– Part III: April 23, 2012 – May 27, 2012 – Online Course – Live Sessions on Monday

Specific training for Adult Educators is offered through Florida TechNet. Check out the one hour webinars at www.floridatechnet.org

• Getting Students through the Current GED (Webinar): January 11, 2012
• Basics of Learning Disabilities (Webinar): January 19, 2012
• Ask the TABE Expert (Webinar): January 23, 2012

Technology

According to educational blogger Audrey Watters, there are several technology trends we may likely see in 2012. Three that we at Lake Tech are already dealing with are listed below.

• MOBILE PHONES: Mobile learning is hardly a new trend, but we have now reached the point with near ubiquitous cell phone ownership among adults, and growing ownership among children. More than three-quarters of teens own a cell phone, and about 40% own a smartphone. As such, these mobile devices will help unlock some of the promise of “anytime, anywhere” learning opportunities.
• BYOD (BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE): A related trend to mobile learning. More schools will grapple with their policies surrounding students bringing their own devices to school. They do so already, of course, although cell phones, in particular, are often required to be turned off or stowed in backpacks or lockers. It isn’t just cell phones that are brought from home now either. There are iPod Touches, tablets, laptops, e-readers, and netbooks, and schools will weigh whether or not students will be permitted or even encouraged to bring their own devices to school.
• PEER TO PEER: “Social learning” has gained a lot of attention in recent years as new technologies have offered ways for students to communicate and collaborate — whether they’re side-by-side in the classroom or thousands of miles away. The ability for learners to connect with one another will be one of the most important trends of the coming year. This isn’t just a matter of connecting learners with online resources or with online instruction. Rather, one of the big opportunities will be to create a space in which learners can help and teach each other.

If you would like to read her entire blog, click here. 

Community Involvement

Last Tuesday, Diane Culpepper met with Ned and Debra Bowers of Skybolt Corporation to discuss opportunities for machinists.

This Tuesday, Diane Culpepper will be attending the State of the County address presented by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners. On Friday, Diane will attend a meeting with Leesburg City Officials regarding an aerospace project at the Leesburg Incubator facility.

On January 14, the Executive Board of SkillsUSA will be meeting at Lake Tech.

2012 Legislative Session – Bill Tracking

For information regarding the bills that have been filed in Tallahassee regarding Career and Technical Education, both secondary and postsecondary, please click here.