Kidd gives insight on Career Tech Ed changes

Julianna Poe, Copy Editor

This school year at Manhattan High, Career and Technical Education changes such as class name revisions, new courses, and removed classes are currently in effect.

“We have a couple of new classes and several name changes this year,” Debra Kidd, CTE coordinator, said.

Classes being taught for the first time at MHS include Business Communications and Fundamentals of Interior Design. In addition, some courses such as Welding 1, which is now Intro to Welding, were given new titles. These changes were made to help students better understand the content of the curriculum.

A course change can be influenced by parents, students and teachers, however it is decided upon by the CTE department and department heads. According to Kidd, it takes six to nine months to put an idea into place, approve it, and put it into action. The state may also decide to make a class mandatory and/or remove a course.

Video Marketing, for example, has been withdrawn from MHS. Reasons for taking a class away can include low enrollment or a state decision to discontinue funding.

Kidd also mentioned that there are three new teachers this year, which is unusual in a department of 13 teachers. The new teachers are Kristen Hopkins, Business; Danny Grater, CAD drafting; and Lisa Pluff, Culinary. This is Pluff’s first year teaching, but last year she did her student teaching at MHS in Heide Rippert’s classes.

Presently, the most popular CTE class at MHS is, in fact, Culinary.

“Kids like to learn how to cook and to eat,” Kidd said.

Students can suggest a class change to Kidd in room E106 hours one through four.