Career and Technical Education Programs

The Clarke County High School Agricultural Education program is dedicated to the development of an educational environment that helps each person grow into a creative, sensitive and thinking adult. The program’s goal is to prepare students to pursue, obtain and succeed at entry-level jobs or entrepreneurship in agriculture or in their further education. Students develop awareness that work is society’s way of creating, preserving, changing and improving their environment. Provisions are made to allow for individual differences in all cooperative, on-the-job and classroom experiences.

It is essential to help each person develop self-understanding and the ability to self-evaluate and, as a result, to initiate change when necessary. The teacher strives to create in students, self-respect and personal values that will help them become more effective and happy. The teacher acknowledges and encourages student participation and interaction in accomplishing needed change while encouraging students to accept responsibility for their actions. Student participation and interaction are provided through planned leadership activities in the National FFA organization, providing opportunities for cooperation, citizenship and leadership development at the local, state and national levels. Students gain experience in decision making, learn to accept responsibility and participate in activities that may lead to more purposeful use of work and leisure time.

Horticulture is a subdivision of the broader topic of Agriculture. According to the National Gardening Association horticulture is a multi-billion dollar industry offering a wide variety of career opportunities in the Floriculture and Landscaping fields. The goal of the CCHS Horticulture Program is to present an overview of the horticulture industry and the educational and career opportunities that are available in the field.

Students learn about the industry through hands-on projects in the greenhouse, garden, and classroom. The program also promotes personal growth through fostering an awareness of the importance of environmental stewardship. Entry-level career opportunities include greenhouse/ nursery employees or groundskeeper. Careers requiring further education include landscape architect, floral designer, soil scientists, or director of botanical/public gardens and arboretums.

Cooperative Education is a method of instruction that combines career and technical classroom instruction with paid employment directly related to the classroom instruction. Both student instruction and employment are planned and supervised by the school and the employer so that each contributes to the student’s career objectives and employability. Students enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes by participating in supervised experiences that are not possible to replicate in an educational setting. The cooperative education method integrates classroom instruction with supervised on-the-job training, the related career and DECA.

The co-curricular marketing student organization, DECA, is an association of marketing students, designed to support and strengthen the marketing curriculum and instructional program and reinforce academic concepts related to marketing. Through participation in local, state, and international activities, DECA members develop a better understanding of the business world. Students are able to ‘showcase’ their knowledge obtained in their marketing classes. Participation in DECA provides a vehicle for students to employ higher order thinking skills, increase their awareness of their civic obligations, develop social poise and interact with high-level business people while further enhancing their leadership skills. Students who wish to be in DECA all four years, this is the sequence of course offerings: Fundamentals of Marketing/Introduction to Marketing; Economics and Personal Finance, Marketing or IB Business and Management Part I; Advanced Marketing or IB Business and Management Part II.

The Career and Technical education program at Clarke County High School offers a cluster of health services classes to help students in grades 11 and 12 prepare for very rigorous health professions programs in college. At this time, Medical Terminology I and II may be dual enrolled through Lord Fairfax Community College and students will be able to earn college credits and gain a basic understanding of medical terms and conditions that can improve their success in health professions. The CCHS Nurse Aide class is Virginia Board of Nursing accredited and prepares students for the industry certification exam for Certified Nurse Aide. These students will be prepared to do basic patient care in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities under the supervision of licensed health care professionals while they are completing their high school education.

Students who have hands on experience and a working knowledge of basic health care are better prepared for health professions studies.

Students will attend Industrial Maintenance Technology I and II classes on the campus of Lord Fairfax Community College. One-half day on site at LFCC with program completion resulting in the completion of 31 community college credits, two Career Studies Certificates (HVAC and Basic Electrical Technician), as well as two industry certifications (PSHA 10 and CFC). This program is only offered through an application and recommendation process. Lord Fairfax Community College Dual Enrollment certificate and college credit may be earned.

The Clarke County High School marketing program prepares students for postsecondary education and careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. Instruction in the marketing cluster enables students to gain knowledge and skills in business law, channel management, customer relations, economics, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, financial analysis, marketing-information management, marketing planning, operations, professional development, pricing, product/service management, promotion, selling, and strategic planning.

The CCHS Technology Education Department offers coursework in Engineering Design, Engineering Systems, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Electronics, and Information Technology. All of the coursework will prepare students pursuing technical certification and/or professional studies.

Students interested in the Mechanical Engineering field will benefit from the study of Engineering Design and Engineering Systems. Engineering Design goes through the design process, problem solving, manufacturing processes, and an understanding of material properties and uses. Engineering Systems introduces the student to design, implementation, and use of manufacturing lines.

Civil Engineering and Architecture courses will benefit students interested in the building trades as well as the design and systems course work. These courses explore soil sciences, surveying, wall systems, structural systems, roof systems, building materials, supply and waste systems, electrical supply and distribution, and road work.

Students working with communications, security systems, and information technology, will benefit from electronics and Information Technology studies. They study the basic building blocks of digital electronics [the basis of all electronic systems], computer and network systems, and computer maintenance. This includes theory in the Digital Electronic and Information systems, as well as practical application as computer and information technology system setup and maintenance.

Engineering, as a study of problem solving in general, utilizes aspects of all of the coursework. As a result, taking course work in one field may easily overlap into other fields.

At this time, students taking Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, and Civil Engineering and Architecture receive Dual Enrollment credit. Graduates of CCHS who have taken these courses have gone on technical jobs, military service, and two and four-year schools pursuing degrees in these fields. The Technology Education courses also offer practical, real life applications to math and science coursework at CCHS.