Dr. Ben Churchill
Superintendent
Carlsbad Unified School District
It started with an idea. Mighty Masks: clever, eco-friendly masks that kids would love to wear, and a companion storybook. But how do you take a winning concept to a marketable product–from designing, fashioning, and artwork to financing, manufacturing, and marketing?
Carlsbad High School CTE (Career Technical Education) students are learning how to bring a product to market by working collaboratively through these steps. For Mighty Masks, students from four CTE pathways contributed to the effort: Business, Marketing & Finance; Early Childhood & Education; Fashion & Design; and Art. CEO Brianna, a senior in teacher Carol King’s Business Management Pathway class, was responsible for developing the business plan and executing the project. Students in Early Childhood and Education took on writing the story line. Art students provided illustrations for the storybook. And Fashion students produced the bamboo face masks. Much like the collaboration of departments in an actual company, CTE students are using project-based learning across multiple sectors to create useful products.
Brianna got feedback on her business plan from a local business representative before submitting it in the Virtual Enterprise (VE) competition. Her Mighty Masks team placed within the VE Top 200 nationally for overall student and VE firm engagement.
In November, Brianna spoke to CUSD’s CTE Advisory Board about her team’s work and its successes. The Advisory Board is made up of 45 volunteers—including local business representatives, teachers, staff, administrators, Board of Trustee members, parents, and students–who advise, assist, and advocate for CTE programs. Advisory Board members make recommendations for program improvement, suggest updates to technology and curriculum, and identify the skills that industries are looking for in employees.
CUSD currently has career pathways in the areas of business, film, broadcast journalism, computer science, engineering & architecture, digital photography, biomedical science, fashion design, child development, wood/construction, and engineering design. Students can also receive college credit through articulation agreements with MiraCosta, Palomar, and Miramar Colleges for many of the pathway courses.
“Industry partnerships play an integral role in helping our students find their passions, get real world exposure, and discover careers that interest them,” explained Carlsbad Unified’s Director of Secondary Education, Megan Arias. “These experiences equip CUSD students with the skills they need to get high-wage, high-demand jobs in the future.”
Carlsbad Unified is fortunate to have a large network of businesses and industries that support CTE Pathway programs. Business partners act as judges in competitions, provide guest speakers, and offer feedback on projects. For example, COOLA Suncare’s CEO Chris Birchy and employees interviewed and hired Business Pathway students for positions in student-run businesses, and mentored them on their business plans; and teams of ViaSat volunteers mentor CUSD students in Science Olympiad and other programs.
We continue to seek additional companies and businesses that are willing to work with our teachers and students. “We invite local business and industry to join us for our CTE Virtual Career Expo on February 24,” said Nicole Moersch, K12 Pathway Coordinator. “Industry partnerships are as important as ever for providing students with relevant and meaningful learning opportunities that promote their readiness for the world of work.”
For more information about our CTE Virtual Career Expo on February 24, you can contact our K12 Pathway Coordinator, Nicole Moersch, via email at [email protected].