The Perryville Area Career and Technology Center (PACTC) gave local students the opportunity to explore academic and career opportunities during its first-annual Pathways and Possibilities week Oct. 6-9.
The week was broken up into two components: Career Exploration and Community Connections.
The Career Exploration event is an annual opportunity for eighth grade students to visit PACTC and learn more about its programs. Students from Perry County Middle School visited on Tuesday, Oct. 6, while students from Ste. Genevieve, Immanuel Lutheran, Meadow Heights, and St. Vincent attended on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Students and instructors in each of the PACTC classrooms led activities to give the visiting eighth graders engaging, hands-on experience with their subject area. Students had the opportunity to try their hand at everything from welding, soldering, and applying body filler to building scaffolding, driving robotic cars, and filming with green screens.
“Our goal was to give these students a true taste of what we do every day. There is no substitute for getting into the shop or lab, picking up the tools, and seeing firsthand where your talents and interests could take you,” said PACTC Student Services Coordinator Morgan Brueckner. “It’s also incredibly rewarding to see our Career Center students share their experiences and spark interest with the younger students about what is possible when they get into high school.”
The Community Connections component of the week included two days of college/career fairs on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Friday, Oct. 9. These events gave Career Center students the opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges, trade schools, employers, and the military, to learn more about options available to them once they graduate.
“We work hard every day to give our students a strong vocational foundation, and events like this help them connect that training to real-world opportunities,” Brueckner said. “The incredible participation from our local industry and education partners shows just how invested our community is in the future of our CTE students.”
The organizations represented in Community Connections included Citizen’s Electric, City of Perryvillle, Community Counseling Center, Independence Health Systems, Jefferson College, Mercy Hospital Perry, Mineral Area College, Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri S&T, Perry Park Center, Ranken Technical College, SEMO Tank, State Technical College, Toyoda Gosei, US Air Force, US Air Force Reserves, US Army, US Navy, and West Star Aviation.
The Perryville Area Career and Technology Center has served students from Perry, Ste. Genevieve, and parts of Cape and Bollinger counties for more than 50 years. It currently offers career education programming for students in grades 11 and 12 from Perryville, St. Vincent, Saxony Lutheran, Ste. Genevieve, Valle Catholic, and Meadow Heights High Schools and agriculture classes for eighth grade students at Perry County Middle School.
PACTC’s career education programs include Agriculture, Auto Collision Repair, Auto Service Technology, CEO Program, Construction Technology, Digital Media, Early Childhood Professionals, Graphic Design, Health Occupations, Industrial & Engineering Technology, Information Technology & Electronics, and Welding Technology.
Special Thanks
The PACTC would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their support of Pathways and Possibilities week:
PACTC Students, Instructors, and Staff
D32 Transportation Team, Perry County Middle School, and Counselor Kacie Sandlin
Ste. Genevieve Middle School, Transportation Department and Counselor Dr. Ed Draper
Immanuel Lutheran School and Principal Andy Spieler
Meadow Heights Middle School, Principal Kristi Hays, and Counselor Lexi King
St. Vincent Schools and Counselor Crystal Tomlinson
Citizen’s Electric
City of Perryvillle
Community Counseling Center
Independence Health Systems
Jefferson College
Mercy Hospital Perry
Mineral Area College
Missouri Department of Transportation
Missouri S&T
Perry Park Center
Perryville Higher Education Center and Michelle Hadler
Ranken Technical College
SEMO Tank
State Technical College
Toyoda Gosei
US Air Force
US Air Force Reserves
US Army
US Navy
West Star Aviation