JON WALLIN | TEMPLE ISD
Temple Independent School District eighth graders will get a first-hand look at some of the options available to them as they prepare for high school with Temple High School hosting career days this week. Eighth graders from all three of the district’s middle schools will tour the Career and Technical Education Center at THS during the event.
Nearly 600 eighth graders are expected to participate over the three days of tours during the program. Each day will start with a brief introduction to Temple High School and the CTE department and a presentation from Charley Ayres from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. Students will then break into small groups to tour the center and hear directly from Temple High School student ambassadors about the possibilities ahead of them.
Those student ambassadors will give brief introductions to each program to groups as they rotate through the facilities. The current high schoolers will share experiences about their time in CTE and answer questions from the eighth graders. The students also have an opportunity to educate the eighth graders on the potential to earn certifications during their high school years to jump start the job search process for in-demand careers.
“The eighth grade career days hold value and importance for both our eighth-grade students and our Temple High School students. The THS students serve as ambassadors for the event. This provides leadership opportunities for them which reinforces employability skill practices in areas such as communication, teamwork, time management, flexibility and adaptability,” said Denise Ayres, director of CTE for Temple ISD. “The event gives our eighth-grade students the opportunity to see the value of learning as connected to career choices. This helps them better select courses that will help them reach their long-term goals and become workforce ready. The event across all three days, each dedicated to one of or middle school campuses, is a true team effort. I am always proud of the leadership provided by our THS students and excited to see our eighth-grade students realize the many opportunities they have here in Temple ISD.”
Temple High School CTE offers career courses across 13 different career clusters. Students can also earn dual credit or professional certifications through the department.
Students from Lamar Middle School will tour on Wednesday, January 18 th , Travis Science Academy will tour on Thursday, January 19 th and Bonham Middle School will close out the week on Friday, January 20 th . The event should last from 9:00 a.m.-12:05 p.m. each day.
