PSD students to be recognized at STEM, CTE showcase event

In the first of many end-of-school celebrations, students and teachers from Peninsula School District Middle and High School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs will gather to show off their projects.

The second annual STEM and CTE Showcase will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. May 17 and will recognize the accomplishments of the students within the programs.

Recognizing the students’ work and accomplishments in these classes will be the focus of the evening, said Lesha Engels, director of College and Career Readiness for the district.

“There’s a large variety of projects but they all kind of highlight the brightest and best of those pathways,” Engels said. “It’s going to be each of the pathways at each of the schools selecting the students or the group of students who best represent that pathway.”

The purpose of these classes is to expose students to career options that they might not have considered otherwise.

Engels said the STEM program in the PSD middle schools is focused more on getting students interested in these fields, while the CTE program in the high schools is more career focused.

“It’s all applied learning elective classes, and those classes are all broken into pathways,” she said. “The idea behind it is that students have a way to explore those careers which might me interesting to them.”

The five CTE pathways available to high school students as electives are Arts and Communications, Health and Human Services, Engineering and Technology, Business and Marketing and Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Another goal of these programs is to connect students with local professionals that are working within these careers.

“Part of the purpose of STEM and CTE is we make connections with community and business partners,” Engels said.

The connections help support students in their electives and later on if they choose to pursue any of these fields as careers.

The May 17 showcase will bring together students, community leaders, teachers, parents and business and industry partners to celebrate the student achievements. Each student will receive an engraved medallion with their name and pathway and appetizers will be provided for attendees by the PHS Culinary Club.

The Gig Harbor Civic Center is located at 3510 Grandview Street.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 1:08 PM with the headline "PSD students to be recognized at STEM, CTE showcase event."