Teacher Spotlight:Sharon Bean

Sharon Bean
Health Science and Technology

About: Lives in Concord with husband, two boys and dog :)

Education: Nursing, RN, from, Norwich University
Master Degree from New England College

Experience: 27 years experience as an RN:
Areas of specialty: Hospice, Psychiatric, Ambulatory Care, Infusion Therapy, Medical Surgical, Case Management, Telemetry.

Interests: Fitness, Wellness, and life long learner

November Tidbits of Classroom News

Culinary Arts 

Post by: Bob McIntosh

The past few weeks have seen second year culinary students working their way through a national sanitation and food safety course called Servsafe. The program is sponsored through the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation and is recognized nationwide. Through hard work and lots of studying sixteen students passed their proctored certification exam and earned Servsafe managers certificates from NRAEF. These certifications are recognized by culinary colleges as successful completion of a course and are articulated so students can get ahead and take another course in their first semester. They are also recognized by the restaurant industry resulting in promotions, raises and many students being hired because they are certified. Congratulations to the students; your hard work paid off.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Post by: John Hubbard

Construction Technology I students have been busy building form and pouring concrete. This is the first time in recent years that concrete has been formed, mixed, and poured in the Construction technology lab. Students used math skills to estimate the amount of concrete needed, safety skills during construction of the forms, framing skills to construct the forms, and team skills in pouring the concrete. The end product, an 8 inch by 8 inch by 16 inch block will be used to assemble concrete block walls in the shop.

Construction Technology II students are in the closing stage of assembly of the mock-up house. The mockup is 16 feet by 16 feet with 2 stories and a gable roof. Students will use the mock-up to sharpen their skills in siding, roofing, drywall, installing doors, installing windows, assembling stairs, metal framing, interior finish work, and installing kitchen cabinets.

A small group of Construction Technology II students took a Saturday to work with Mr Hubbard on the installation of new exterior stairs at the Friends shelter at 30 Thompson St in Concord. The old stairs were removed and the new stairs installed in less than6 hours.b

Automotive Tech

Post by: Phil Bill & Scott Mayotte

On October 12, at the NH Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., CRTC Automotive students were among 800 high school students from all over NH who got under the hood and into the driver’s seat at an automotive career expo hosted by NH Automobile Dealers (NHADA), the NH Automotive Education Foundation (NHAEF) and NH’s Community Colleges.

The colleges and area dealers showcased a variety of vehicles, new technology, including computerized diagnostic systems. College admissions personnel answered questions about educational opportunities and financial aid.

“Students are surprised to learn of the variety of careers in the auto industry in New Hampshire. In addition to technicians, we have jobs in information technology, finance, and sales,” said Tom Cavanaugh, fixed operations director of the AutoServe Dealerships. “Technicians can earn a salary of $70,000 or more, and work in a comfortable environment with advancement opportunities. These are financially rewarding careers in an industry that has really evolved into a high-tech, sophisticated enterprise with the demand for a broad range of skills.”

The students were also given an opportunity to join interactive contests and various hands-on activities. Before leaving, the students were required to visit each college booth and report on something they learned and liked at each stop. All students attending this event gave positive comments about the college programs, the co-ops, and available opportunities in the automotive industry.

Teacher Preparation

Post by: Val Flanders

As part of the second year of the Teacher Preparation Program, students complete a year-long internship in the community. The students have the opportunity to request placements in classrooms based on the grade level and/or subject matter they are interested in teaching in the future. This year, the senior internship requests ranged from working with students in kindergarten to 8th grade and in specialized subjects like art, special education, social studies, and science. All 23 seniors are currently placed in public schools in Concord, Penacook, and Pembroke. Students on internship are working toward gaining more advanced skills in areas such as professionalism, classroom management, differentiating instruction, and planning and teaching lessons.

While the senior internships have common goals, each cooperating teacher helps to make the internship a unique experience for every student. The cooperating teachers are selected to participate in the internship program based on their teaching style, experience, and enthusiasm for helping to train these future teachers. The cooperating teachers give students a variety of responsibilities while they are in their classrooms. Teacher Preparation students have already started completing tasks such as leading reading groups, providing math support, teaching grammar, giving spelling tests, and assisting with science research projects. They look forward to many more teaching experiences as the year goes on!

Graphic Arts

Post by: Tom Mungovan

This month the students were rewarded with college visits from The Art Institute of Boston and New England Institute of Technology. They both presented a very professional explanation of their schools and provided the students with much to think about for their college choices. They were also privileged to listen to and talk with two guest industry speakers; Ryan Nicholson from Jmaze Web Services & Designs and Rebeka Sobadacha from Sobadacha Designs. We all felt honored they would take time out of their busy day to come speak with us. It gave the students the chance to hear real life stories of how people in the industry have succeeded, and the miss-steps they might have taken and the actions taken to correct them. We have our advisory meeting on the 19th, and I am excited to include new members for a more dynamic team to make sure that we are staying current! Currently the Juniors are working in Photoshop designing DVD movies covers and the Seniors are working in Illustrator and Photoshop designing a 3D Cereal box.

Programming

Post by: Joe Messineo

We continue to be challenged learning to write programs to control our robot’s behavior in order to solve challenges. Students are writing computer programs to control motors navigating obstacle courses and completing numerous programming challenges. Next we will be rounding the corner from wire-tethered and autonomous programming to wireless control and remote sensing.

Students will learn how to program the sensors and buttons available on a remote wireless device to control their robot. As this semester progresses we will also discover the world of remote sensing, utilizing a wide variety of sensors such as ultrasonic rangefinders, and light sensors to detect and react to changes in environment. Remote sensing will allow our robots to navigate mazes and complete challenges based on feedback from their sensors.

Criminal Justice

Post by: Scott Lane

Attention! Uniform Inspection.

New Criminal Justice logo to appear on uniforms

The Criminal Justice Program joins Auto mechanics, Culinary, and Cosmetology in requiring students to wear uniforms. One of the goals of the CRTC is to give students exposure to industry standards. “Uniforms are a requirement for most entry level positions in the criminal justice field.” said Criminal Justice instructor Chief Scott Lane. The uniform will consist of a navy blue polo shirt and tan tactical pants. A new Criminal Justice logo was developed by CRTC Graphics Design Program Instructor Tom Mungovan. It will be worn on the left breast of the shirt.

The crisp, clean uniform of the police officer conveys power and authority. Clothing has a powerful impact on how people are perceived, and this goes for the police officer as well. A well maintained uniform portrays professionalism, trust, and competency in an officer. The uniform of a police officer has been found to have a profound psychological impact on those who view it.

Most people can identify a police officer by the official police uniform. Criminals usually curb their unlawful behavior when they spot a uniformed police officer in the area. Many parents teach their children to respect and trust a person in the police uniform. Police
academy recruits relish the day when they may finally wear their official police uniforms. “Wearing your uniform as you march in formation at recruit graduation is a very proud moment for new police officers.” Said Chief Lane., “And one that many of our students in the criminal justice program will have the privileges of experiencing.”

Cosmetology

Post by: Kim Hannon

Got Pink? That was Crimson Creations Salon motto for the month of October. The cosmetology class is about giving back to the community. Their cause for October was Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.The junior and senior Cosmetology class created a team four years ago called Crimson Creations Cuts 4 A Cure. The team did a wonderful job raising money by showing of their skills in the salon by hosting a Friends and Family night of glamour and fun. The seniors were able to offer services such as manicuring
and hair cutting with a dash of pink. The juniors offered great customer service by greeting clients. The team was able to create a Wall of Hope from the salon proceeds and sponsors of those who walked. We were able to raise over $1,000!

The Past and The Future - How to BEST Communicate Student Performance and Get the Most Out of Students

by Director Steve Rothenberg
sroth@concordnhschools.net

At its root, performance reporting, in whatever form it assumes is all about communication. Communication to help students, educators and families assess an individual student’s performance and growth; in doing so make a plan to achieve future appropriate educational goals.

Historically the determination process to create a grade has been extremely convoluted. We’ve embraced giving schools and teachers a great deal of latitude in determining a reporting (grading) systems. This was the norm. We’ve all experienced grading systems that involve total points, percentage breakdowns (homework, tests..), bonus points, and more. The systems used reflected the values associated with the particular entity providing the educational experience (teacher and/or school). Ultimately students worked to develop the adaptive skills necessary to figure out these systems.

Yet those adaptation skills are not necessarily what research shows help students to improve. Rather than adaptive skills, we want students to develop ownership skills. Performance objectives needs to be defined (transparent) and scoring must align without prejudice.

The good news is that over the past few years performance reporting systems have begun to change considerably with high schools as the last frontier. We are proud that the CRTC has been leading the way in this area.

Quality systems don’t label student performance with one number or letter; nor do they merge behaviors (homework completion rate) and understandings (demonstration of hard skills) into one score. If there were one theme to summarize the future - it would be separate reporting.

For example the CRTC separates reporting of hard and soft skills. A students who is bright, knows his/her material, demonstrate his/her knowledge, but is lousy at doing homework would get a 4 or 5 (out of 5) in hard skills, but would get a 1 or 2 (out of 5) on work ethic. This level of reporting allows teacher and parents to have the most meaningful discussion with students so the student can adjust their future educational targets and career plans.

We are still stuck behind transcripts that share one element of reporting data per course (a single number or letter). All of our hard work is sadly compromised at this final stage. Schools throughout New Hampshire are changing their transcripts and report cards to better reflect performance. Ultimately to tell a more complete story. In our conversations with local colleges like UNH, Plymouth State University and Keene State, they are willing to embrace performance reports in many different formats.

To summarize, I want to challenge those of you with extensive work experience, to reference a great performance review you’ve hopefully received from a caring boss at some point in your career. That boss knew you, your strengths, your weaknesses and was able give you honest performance feedback that, most importantly, gave you targets to improve. This clarity, as well as a potential raise, may have motivated you to improve. Now, apply that to report cards. School are moving slowly to change our age-old model, but it is taking time. We are especially proud of our report cards and I think you will see how far we’ve come.

Spotlight on: Health Science and Technology

HOSA Students working the blood drive

Post by: Instructor Sharon Bean sbean@concordnhschools.net

Program basics: Health Science and Technology (HST) is a program for students interested in being future healthcare professionals. The first year introduces students to the core material needed by most health care workers. The curriculum is based upon the New Hampshire Health Science standards. Emphasis is focused on body functions, medical terminology, and safety principles. During the second year,  tudents are able to receive college credit for Medical Terminology and Exercise Science, and upon successful completion are able to become certified Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNA). Upon successful completion of the two year program students potentially leave with: Certification in First Aid and CPR, LNA certificate, and six college credits.

Where it started and where it is now: Health Science and Technology (HST) has been a program in CRTC since 1978. It originally was a program for training as a hospital housekeeper and LNA. In 1995 when CHS was renovated significant changes took place to include a classroom and lab area and the implementation of a statewide curriculum for Health Science. Today HST is a robust program that is at full student capacity (in fact over-enrolled). It is a great stepping stone opportunity for future healthcare professionals or as career path right out of high school.

Economic Outlook: According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Nursing is the occupation with highest job growth projections thru 2020. Also in the top 10 are: Home Health Aides, Personal Care Aides. Among other fastest growing occupations is Veterinarian Technicians, Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistants, Physicians, Medical Secretaries and Medical Assistants.

Facility/Equipment: Health Science Lab is in the process of expansion to include; SIM manikins, state of the art hospital and medical office equipment and supplies.

Successful graduate: Over the past two years, 100% of the students have gone to post secondary schools. Schools of acceptance are: Colby-Sawyer, Endicott College, Great Bay Community College, Hobart and Smith, Keene State, Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Science, Montclair State University, Oral Roberts, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Mount Ida, Plymouth State, Queens University of Charlotte, Quinnipiac, Rivier, St. Anselm's, St. Josephs, St. Michaels, UNH, and University of New England. Primary majors are Nursing, but also include, PA, Pre Med and Veterinary Science.

HST student Grace Hannon donating her
blood during the HOSA blood drive on 10/31

Curriculum: Human structure and function and its effect on wellness, diseases disorders and therapies. Fundamentals of Wellness and Prevention, understanding the healthcare system, multidisciplinary team members, health care policy, regulations and laws, ethics, employment opportunities, communication, leadership, general safety and infection control.


Work-based experiences offered: Throughout the program guest speakers of a multitude of healthcare professionals come into speak to include, Neurosurgeon, family practice MD, Dietician, Radiology Tech, Anesthesiologist, Nurse Anesthetist, RN, Mortician, OT, PT, Blind Association, Audiologist, Opthomologist, Vet Tech, Central Sterile Supply , Hospital Security, Respiratory Therapist, Hospital CEO, Speech Pathologist, and Pharmacist. The choice of speakers is based on student interest and curriculum. We also collaborate with the residents at Presidential Oaks on a monthly basis. Students with specific interests are able to do job shadows (as allowed). We have also had the opportunity to do small group tours of various departments at Concord Hospital and Health South Rehabilitation Hospital.

Affiliated industry partners: Presidential Oaks, Red Cross, Concord Hospital, NHTI, Home Instead Senior Care, and The Prescription Center.

HOSA students at their recent mac &
cheese drive rasieing funds to go to
Cystic Fibrosis.

Highlights:
Certificates- LNA
Dual enrollment- NHTI, MCC
Trips - HOSA- State competition in Manchester, annually, HOSA Nationals either, Anaheim, CA, Orlando, FL or Nashville TN annually.
Special Events: Blood Drives, Manchester Marathon, St. Judes Walk, Cystic Fibrosis events, Presidential Oaks events, Health Fairs, Community fundraising walks.

Future of Program: The Health Science and Technology Program continues to explore growth. Our program works with other similar programs in CTE Centers throughout New Hampshire. We continue to explore adding elements to the program to enhance the experience for students. Our present focus is upon Physical Therapy and Sport Medicine, both of which are very high interest to students. In each case, we need to establish local partnerships to leverage and enhance these investments.

NH Healthy Meals Competition

Above Joey is making his tasty quesadillas.

Saturday November 17th NH Healthy Meals CompetitionPost by: Bob McIntosh

Three CHS Culinary Arts students entered the NH Healthy Meals Competition at the  beginning of October. The contest is a state version of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. It requires culinary arts students to design a healthy recipe that has student appeal, fits the USDA guidelines for the school lunch program and utilizes local, farm to table ingredients. All recipes will be available for use by school lunch programs across the country.

Finalists were chosen from the recipes submitted and those teams competed November 17 at Southern New Hampshire University by producing their recipes.

One team was Shannon Geher and Zoran Garic cooking their version of apple cider pulled pork sandwiches with apple slaw and roasted potato smiles. The other was Joey Parkinson producing his version of chicken, apple and caramelized onion quesadillas with a brown Spanish rice. Both of our teams were first year culinary students competing against the other teams ,which were all second year students from other schools. All of their hard work paid off as team Shannon and Zoran took 3rd place and Team Joey took 2nd place. Congratulation and well done folks!

Above Shannon & Zoran assemble their trays for the judges. 

CRTC Core Values and Beliefs Statement

We seek feedback on our newly proposed CRTC Core Values and Beliefs Statement.  We've never had a document of this nature although our beliefs have always been strong.

http://concord.tech.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/498202/File/THE%20CRTC%20WAY(1).pdf?sessionid=67c0d98e40481c29b438ea53324f8efb

Please send feedback to Director Steve Rothenberg by calling 717-7654 or by emailing sroth@thecrtc.net

THANKS