More than 50 eighth graders from East Aurora recently got a “taste” of different Career & Technical Education programs available at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES.
The Ormsby Educational Center held its Taste of Tech event, where middle schoolers could interact with current CTE students and instructors and engage in various hands-on activities.
Students were able to pick three CTE programs to explore for 25 minutes each during their visit.
Eighth graders Juliet Callahan and Ani Callea said they were drawn to the Cosmetology program during Taste of Tech. Both hope to enroll in a CTE program for their junior and senior years of high school.
In addition to Cosmetology, Callahan also toured the Small Animal Science and Health Careers classrooms.
“Out of everything that I picked today, I think I’m most interested in Cosmetology,” she said. “I like that there’s a little bit of an artistic design in everything you can do with the hair and nails.”
Callea said she could see herself one day working in a salon. “This seems like it could be a fun job to have,” the East Aurora Middle School student said.
Rya Morris said she was naturally drawn to the Pre-Engineering & Drafting Design program at Ormsby. “I have always been interested in engineering, so I was really excited to look into this class,” Morris said.
East Aurora teacher Jennifer Parker said Taste of Tech fits well with career exploration projects students work on in the spring. She said the Ormsby event also complements the current curriculum she’s teaching at the middle school.
The visiting students were able to rotate between Automotive Body Repair, Conservation/Natural Resource Management, Construction Technology, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Health Careers, Pre-Engineering & Drafting Design, Small Animal Science, Sports Conditioning & Exercise Science, and Welding/Metal Fabrication.
