Computer science is Western Wayne's first Career Technical Education program

Western Wayne High School is planning to start its first Career Technical Education (CTE) program, focused on computer programming and networking.

Certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), a CTE program can prepare students for the workforce directly from high school with the added advantage a CTE can have on the resume, district STEAM Principal Elizabeth Watson said.

Both Wayne Highlands and Wallenpaupack school districts have several CTE programs in place, each with some that are unique to their school. Agreements are in place for students in these districts to enroll in a CTE program at one of the other schools, attend classes there and still earn a diploma from their home high school.

"This will be our first CTE program, which is a great thing for our district," she said. "It is something we have acknowledged as something that is a very critical component to offer to our students." They joined the consortium with Wayne Highlands and Wallenpaupack and are now able to contribute a CTE four-year course of study unique to Western Wayne.

She said there are very few schools statewide that include computer programming as a CTE. "We are very lucky to have a staff member... Tom Lodini, and he is one of the very few, select few certified teachers in computer programming in the state of Pennsylvania," she said.

The PDE normally requires certification for CTE instructors, who have equal representation in education training and working in the industry on which they are instructing.

Although they have other "wonderful teachers" in technical education at Western Wayne, she said they lack industry experience. Computer programming as a CTE pathway is very new in Pennsylvania, so to encourage schools to offer it, the PDE has made the allowance to have a certified teacher without industry experience.

Lodini, who graduated from Honesdale High School, has taught at Western Wayne for many years. He has been teaching mathematics and computer programming courses, although the latter was not a CTE-approved course. The new course has met the PDE standards for a CTE.

Prior to starting the CTE, a student could learn computer programming but lacked the certificate a CTE brings to demonstrate to a potential employer that the student is knowledgeable and proficient, she stated.

CTE courses, she said, provide industry-recognized credentials that are entered in a student's portfolio and enable them to choose to go straight to the workforce after high school graduation. In the case of Western Wayne's program, she said, the materials are produced by a company, Cisco Systems, Inc., an industry leader in terms of training and equipment for computer programming and networking.

As a benefit to the school district for using Cisco, the company will help with job placement and internships for students who do well. She said the district has partnered with Cisco to be able to guarantee their students that the training will help them join the industry.

While computer programming has been part of Western Wayne's curriculum, networking will be new. Watson said that the district chose this field for their CTE because they had a certified teacher on board and realized that computer science is a hugely growing industry offering many jobs.

Starting with computer science as their first CTE program also did not require a large financial investment, Watson said. Resulting from the COVID pandemic when school education shifted to the home, the students use district-issued Dell laptops. They have partnered with both Cisco and Microsoft, which will cover most of the district’s costs for curricular resources.

The district looked at diesel mechanics, but that would require costly retrofitting of the school campus. HVAC was also considered, but both these fields also would have required hiring instructors.

Preparing their students for the future, she said this may mean a four-year college, or entering the workforce to make a living at what they really love and excel at. "Living in Wayne County and Western Wayne School District specifically, we really do value all post-secondary options," Watson said. "We live in a farming community. Things always go hand in hand, so when we talk about machinery repair, the technical aspect, we pride ourselves in at least acknowledging and trying to support all student interests."

She noted that everyone uses technology, including those in agriculture, lawyers, doctors, and any career, whether requiring college or not. "Being able to program technology for what you want it to do, whether it is in a hospital or in a car dealership, that is a hugely marketable skill set."

Having computer skills in any chosen field is a powerful resume builder, she added.

A local advisory CTE committee will be meeting with a range of stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, students, and industry members. Watson has been working together with their high school principal, Paul Gregorski, Superintendent Matthew Barrett, and the school board, she said.

The four-year program will offer an introductory 42-minute class in the first year open to all students, not only those committed to the CTE program. The second and third year includes a two-period, consecutive block of classroom time; the fourth year has a three-period block of time, which includes a potential internship and applying their knowledge.

Choosing to take a CTE program, she said, requires a time commitment and limits students from choosing some other electives.

Choosing computer science for the first CTE was also desired because it did not duplicate what Wallenpaupack and Western Wayne have; both districts are interested in Western Wayne's venture as an option for their students, Watson stated. The 2024-2025 school year is the first full year for the joint district consortium.

Reflecting on Western Wayne's first CTE program, Watson commented, "I'm over the moon about it, I really think it is a wonderful opportunity to serve our kids and the community."

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Western Wayne High School picks computer science for first CTE