Each week, Clover Park School District (CPSD) will highlight a school or profession in our district on our social media pages with a #SuperSchoolShoutout where we celebrate the students and staff that make our district beam with pride.
In February, we celebrated Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month by giving a shoutout to Thomas Middle School eighth grader Nai Paolo, Lakes High School junior Jaelle Shamsid-Deen, Lee Mendenhall and Eric Farlow from Thomas Middle School, and Robbin Harrell from Lakes High School!
Nai joined the robotics CTE course at Thomas because of his love for math and science. He wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. “Programming interested me because you have to problem solve,” he said. “I knew I’d like the class, but I ended up liking it way more than I thought I would.”
Classes like robotics used to be rare when coding was viewed as a niche skill, but today, this CTE class is becoming a student favorite. “It’s been great to learn how to use computers to code,” Nai said. “I hope other kids take the class because it’s really fun and so underrated.”
Nai has always wanted to pursue a professional football career but is now keeping his mind open to engineering and other science related fields. “Pursuing coding in the future is now a major possibility for me,” he said.
Jaelle is currently enrolled in ASB and has previously taken photography and intro to engineering CTE courses. “I’m the junior class senator and I help organize events,” she said. “I recently organized the school lip-dub and that was such a fun project.”
Organizing the lip-dub was a big lift. Jaelle had to find school appropriate music, coordinate the video, and connect with different teams and clubs with the support of her fellow ASB members. “I’m really proud of it, it turned out better than I had hoped,” she said.
Jaelle values the leadership, photography and engineering skills she was able to develop through CTE and how they’ve shaped her future. She is now confident that she will pursue mechanical engineering while also developing a community-based organization in the future.
Check out the 2023 Lakes High School Lip Dub.
Mendenhall and Farlow are the dynamic CTE duo at Thomas. “It’s awesome to work with Eric,” Mendenhall said. “I think our teaching styles blend well together because Eric’s strength is hands-on learning while I work through concepts with the class before the kids work on their own.”
Mendenhall teaches yearbook, computer science, robotics and digital communications. Farlow teaches STEM technology, design technology, robotics and sixth grade applied technology. “CTE gives students a chance to work with their hands and build something tangible,” Farlow said. “It’s great for kids who might struggle in traditional classes but have other interests and strengths.”
CTE students learn new skills, explore career opportunities and discover alternative education pathways. “Knowing how to problem solve and use technology in new ways will help kids in the future no matter what path they take,” Mendenhall said.
At Lakes, Harrell teaches independent living, project management with ASB leadership and careers in education for future teachers. “I’ve taught many students who went through the careers in education program that now teach alongside me here at Lakes,” Harrell said. “I just love it.”
In independent living, Harrell prepares students for their future. “These courses are for all students because everyone will have to manage their own finances, cook for themselves and take care of their health,” she said.
To Harrell, CTE courses help students learn to lead, become working professionals and take control of their future. “We partner with colleges like Pierce where students can leave my program, work for the childcare center and get a full tuition if they want a degree in education,” she said.
