William Floyd Middle School eight-grade students recently visited the William Floyd High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs to learn about some of the opportunities available to them as they prepare to enter high school.

Students participated in groups based on the CTE programs they are interested in and were paired with current CTE students serving as mentors who demonstrated the skills they have learned in their programs. William Floyd High School CTE currently offers Automotive, Barbering, Carpentry, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Marine & Motorsports and Medical Assisting.

“It is important for our eighth graders to see what opportunities are available to them in high school,” said Allison Wiegand, CTE chairperson, William Floyd High School. “It helps them envision a future and plan their schedules. It also motivates them to stay on track for graduation requirements. 

Feedback from participating middle school students was very positive. After touring the CTE classrooms, students gathered in the high school LGI and had the opportunity to ask CTE students questions about their experiences in their respective program.

“We implemented the middle and elementary school visits a few years back,” said Robert Felicetta, assistant principal, William Floyd High School. “These visits have played a significant role in growing our enrollment. Over the last eight years, we have tripled our enrollment and I believe this has been one aspect of many that has helped with that. We have seen several current CTE students that visited in either fifth or eighth grade go through one of our CTE programs.”

In addition, the William Floyd High School CTE programs recently showcased their work in the annual CTE expo in the south lobby. High school students during their lunch period got to see first-hand the many talented CTE students display the skills they have learned in their classes, and how they can turn those skills into a successful career post-graduation.

In April, senior barbering and cosmetology students will visit eight-grade students at William Paca Middle School to share the skills and techniques they have learned in their programs.

Additional photos from the eighth-grade visit and the CTE expo are available in the album below!