Repair It Forward donates computers to Great Circle

David Hopkins and Repair It Forward are at it again. This time Great Circle is the recipient. The computers were refurbished through Columbia Area Career Center's Repair It Forward program, which rebuilds donated machines and provides them to local non-profit groups. The five laptops were donated by Missouri Employers Mutual as they phase out old and roll out new laptops for their employees.

“The Repair It Forward program is a great way for us to ensure that our donated computers are in good working condition and have been properly configured before they reach their new home” says Mike Teter, IT Resource and Performance Manager for MeM.  “It’s a fantastic program that benefits both students learning new skills and those in our community who are in need of access to technology.”

Great Circle is a premier provider of specialized behavioral health programs whose highly-trained professionals serve thousands of children and families in Missouri. Susan Reeves, Director of Advancement for Great Circle, is thankful for the donation. “The gift of refurbished laptops increases Great Circle's capacity to transform vulnerable lives by equipping our youth care supervisors with advanced technology that allows for more efficient 24-hour staff scheduling ”, says Reeves.  

David Hopkins, CACC A+ IT instructor,  Jessica Luster, Great Circle Supervisor, MIke Teter, MeM IT Resource Manager and Pranav Patel, Repair It Forward student representative

Big O Tire IPad Giveaway

A big thank you to Rusty and Melanie Coats of Big O Tires, Partner in Education for Columbia Area Career Center, for their generous donation of the IPad Air awarded to Gentry Middle School 8th grader Greta Scheidt. Scheidt attended Columbia Area Career's December 3rd Career Showcase  where she completed a "fact finding" sheet which was entered into a drawing for an IPad Air.  The open house for prospective students and their families was a chance to explore the opportunities career center classes provide and to find out how to fit them into their high school 4 year plan. To make it easier for families to attend, Rusty and Melanie Coats prepared and served dinner to over 350 faculty, students and attendees at the Showcase. 

CACC Counselor Ellen Buechler and Greta Scheidt accepting her new IPad Air

DESE Career Counselor, Janet Bagby, Gentry Counselor, Katherine Corey, Greta Scheidt,
 Assistant Principal Linda Garner, and CACC Counselor Ellen Buechler

Middle School students win iTunes Cards

All Columbia Public School 8th graders were introduced to Columbia Area Career Center classes when they visited the high schools they will be attending next year. This event allowed students to experience a day in high school which included tours of the building by local high school students and demonstrations by career center students. Traditionally, 8th graders complete a 4 year plan of study in preparation for entering high school and selecting courses in which to enroll.  Following the event, each student completed a survey. One survey was drawn from each middle school and the winner received  a $25 iTunes Gift Card, donated by Partner in Education, Big O Tires.
The winners were as follows:

Jefferson Middle School-Tami Farmington, Ellen Buechler, Riley Kearns and Greg Caine

Lange Middle School-Carey Hughes, Jordan Wingate and Belinda Woods-Galbreath

Smithton Middle School- Paige Travis was the winner

West Middle School-Kecia Reddick, Ellen Buechler, Amanda Taylor and Ella Boyt

Gentry Middle School-Janet Bagby, Jackson McCallister and Katherine Corey

Oakland Middle School-Doug Harl, Brianna Black and Nawassa Logan

"I Can" Breakfast Held at Reynolds Alumni Center

The "I Can" Award ceremony  was held November 11, 2015 at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri campus. Students receiving this honor exemplify the career center expectations of positive attitude, reliability, professionalism, initiative, responsibility, respect, integrity and gratitude as recognized by their teacher or peers. Each honoree and their family were invited to attend the breakfast ceremony where the student received a certificate and gift of recognition by Columbia Area Career Centers's Partner in Education, MU Operations.

Photos from the event can be viewed on CACC's Facebook page.

Congratulations to the "I Can"  recipients:

Battle High School

Sean Allen
Gus Andrews
Breanna Anich
Charles Bever
Timothy Brooks
Ysabelle Drage
Quinn Dubinski
Thomas Fenner
Allysha Holder
D"Anthony Kemp
Garrett Klenke
Robert Lopez
Lydia Martinez
Ryan Rainey 
Kham Thang
Alijah Thompson
Collin Walsh

Hickman High School

Cameron Bopp
Rachel Byerly-Duke
Rich Dao
Nancy Diallo
Mariah Doss
Miles Fogle
Avery Gorden
Bailey Hawkins
Taryn Johnson
Cheeyoung Kaylen
Inga Kokic
Hunter Lunceford
Jerica Mahaney
Laura Marulanda
Alexis Miller
Eric Osterkamp
Halie Scott
Sierra Smith
Amanda Sun
Mackenzie Thomas
Wyatt Thompson
Anabel Throckmorton
Maria Turner
Hunter Wayland

Rock Bridge High School
Dy-Dreonte Buchanan
Siddhant Chaurasia
Madison Cleeton
Wesley Cosby
Claire Dinwiddie
Keely Elsbury
Chase Ford
Blaine Forshee
Mary Gadbois
Christopher Gray
Brendan Greenplate
Bailey Grieshaber
Sergey Gruzdev
Anna Hickman
Allyson Hill
Emma Jacaway
Nichole Karasiuk
Abdurrahman Kikhia
Jessica Krekeler
Ann Lottes
Tess Lovig
Emerson McNamee
Cedar Nelson
Dzung Nguyen
Sean Packard
Joyce Park
Pranavkumar Patel
Grant Powell
Caleb Rhodenbaugh
Adrian Riley
Louise Schul
John Seina
Meagan Shelby
Yusuf Shoune
Seth Smith
Stephanie Tarr
Madison Towns
Matthew Vincent
Tyler Wilson
Audrey Wooden
Richard Wyatte

Home School

Benjamin Scott

Christian Fellowship

William Eiffert

Hallsville High School

Jadon KIlpack
Alex Wimer

Wildlife, Conservation and Forestry students help plant the Battle Elementary Kindness Tree

   

Students from Meridith Haley's Wildlife, Conservation and Forestry class at Battle High School together with Scott Keith of MU Landscape Division assisted in the planting of the Battle Elementary Kindness Tree. The Kindness Tree program was started to bring awareness and commitment to  children's mental, emotional and physical health.

Columbia Area Career Center and their partner in education,  MU Operations, joined forces to assist in the various elements of the project. The wildlife students planted the Butterfly Magnolia, the official tree of the Kindness Tree project and  CACC Graphic Design students, Michelle Algya and Rebecca Stannard designed the program and invitation. This is the second Kindness Tree event they have collaborated on.

At the dedication ceremony on November 20, Columbia Mayor, Bob Mc David recounted the history and the purpose of the Kindness Tree initiative; CACC Director Randy Gooch commented on the partnership between CACC and MU Operations; the 3rd, 4th and 5th choir performed a song about peace; Principal Jeri Petri remarked how the students observed Kindness as the character trait of the month in preparation for the dedication of the Kindness Tree. Muriel Battle Browder, daughter of Eliot Battle, offered her thoughts on the dedication of the Kindness Tree at the elementary school that bears her father's name.The program finished up with members of the student council reading poems about Kindness.

Scott Keith from MU Landscaping instructs students in tree planting

Students back fill the Butterfly Magnolia Tree

Students water the Butterfly Magnolia tree

Scott Keith and Meridith Haley's Wildlife class pose with the Kindness Tree

Mayor McDavid speaks to the crowd

Career Center director Randy Gooch

Battle Elementary Choir

The unveiling of the Kindness Tree plaque

"A single act of kindness can change a life forever"

FFA Poultry and Meats teams compete in Louisville

Congratulations to the 2015 Poultry  and Meat Evaluation  Teams  and their advisor, Kevin Duncan from Columbia Area Career Center for finishing 2nd and 6th respectively in their Career Development Events at the 88th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky October 29-30, 2015.

The National FFA Poultry Evaluation CDE is a competitive event that tests the participant's ability to select top quality poultry and poultry products needed for successful production and marketing. Event participants must complete a written exam on poultry management, evaluate classes of live birds for egg and meat production, evaluate quality of eggs, and evaluate and identify parts and products. Each team competed at local and state levels for the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention & Expo.

The top ten individuals and the national winning team members received cash awards to recognize their success in the event. The cash awards and the poultry evaluation event are sponsored by Newly Weds Foods, Tyson Foods, Inc and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association as a special project of the National FFA Foundation and the National FFA Organization.

This event was held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.

Representing Columbia Area Career Center's 2nd place national team were:

• Katie Weir-4th place individual
• Andrew Cunningham-5th place individual
• Mariah Murphy-8th place individual
• Asa Linneman 

Kevin Duncan, Mariah Murphy, Katie Weir, Asa Linneman and Andrew Cunningham

The National FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology CDE is a competitive event that test students' skills and competencies in evaluating and identifying meat carcasses and products. Event components include a general knowledge exam; beef carcass evaluation; identification of wholesale and retail cuts of beef, lamb and pork; quality and yield grading of beef carcasses; a team meat merchandising event; and solving of a meat formulation problem. Each team has competed on the local and state levels to earn the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention & Expo.

The top ten individuals and the national winning team members received cash awards to recognize their success in the event. The cash awards and the event are sponsored by Cargill Meat Solutions, Hormel Foods Corporation, Kraft Heinz Company-Oscar Mayer Division and Tyson Foods, Inc as a special project of the National FFA Foundation and the National FFA Organization. 

The event was held at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.

Representing Columbia Area Career Center's 6th place national team were:

• Austin Dehaven-7th place individual
• Robert Schmidt-8th place individual
• Rory James
• Kassie Rankin

Kevin Duncan, Rory James, Kassie Rankin, Robert Schmidt and Austin Dehaven

Career Center students participate in Bradford Farm Tomato Festival

                    

The College of Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at the University of Missouri hosted the 11th annual Tomato Festival held at Bradford Farm Research Center, September 3, 2015. Visitors were able to taste over 100 varieties of tomatoes as well as sample products made from tomatoes grown on the Bradford Research Farm.  CACC Culinary students Giovanni Bartolacci, Lexi Miller, Chloe Sage, Taylor Moreau and Malcom Boone were among the local chefs who prepared dishes for the audience to sample. Giovanni Bartolacci, made a smoked tomato gazpacho with a balsamic reduction. Lexi Miller made a deconstructed bruschetta with ground cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and honey balsamic reduction. The students visited Bradford Farm prior to the festival to select their ingredients and brought them back to Columbia Area Career Center to prep them for the event. Guests attending the tasting who registered were given tickets to vote for their favorite prepared dish.
Columbia FFA was also on hand to assist with parking duties.

Taylor Moreau, Culinary Instructor Katie Frink, Malcolm Boone and Giovanni Bartolacci

Chloe Sage, Lexi Miller and Taylor Moreau

Columbia FFA member, Lily Grant directs cars at the Tomato Festival