FARMINGTON -- Farmington High School's career and technical education program provides students with 25 career opportunities, either through courses at the high school, Northwest Arkansas Community College or Northwest Technical Institute.
Starlinda Sanders, career and technical technical (CTE) coordinator for Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative in Farmington, said she sees career and technical education as providing options and opportunities for students.
While Farmington has seven major CTE programs at the high school, embedded within those programs are multiple career opportunities, Sanders said.
Farmington High staff, teachers and students highlighted the school's career and technical education programs and courses during a showcase held for the public Feb. 14.
The school's first showcase opened in the Performing Arts Center with Superintendent Jon Laffoon and school principal Jon Purifoy addressing people in the auditorium. Those attending were mainly Farmington school administrators, school board members, some from the public, including Mayor Ernie Penn, and others representing career and technical education (CTE) on the regional and state level.
Sanders was one of the speakers and she noted that Farmington offers 11 career pathways on site, including business management, television production, computer science, cyber security, childcare and nutrition, agriculture and marketing.
The high school partners with the community college to offer seven additional career programs, including certification as a nursing assistant. Students also can participate in classes at NWTI that include certifications in HVAC and welding.
All these classes, Sanders said, are giving Farmington students a leg up and the "very best options and opportunities" as they plan for the future.
Sunny Teale, who is with the Division of Career and Technical Education with the Arkansas Department of Education in Little Rock, said Farmington is preparing its students with life skills, soft skills and content knowledge.
"Farmington is doing an incredible job," Teal said. "It is helping kids to figure out if this career is for them or not for them."
Laffoon opened the showcase and said Farmington's career and technical education classes provide transformative learning experiences for students in grades 7-12.
"The curriculum provides an engaging hands-on environment and empowers students to develop knowledge that is in demand in the workforce and the skills they need to thrive," Laffoon said.
Farmington's current CTE programs are computer science, engineering, biomedical science, agriculture, business, AV technology and communication and family consumer science.
Farmington High also has career pathways through Project Lead the Way: pre-engineering, biomedical and computer science.
Farmington strives, Laffoon said, to increase graduation rates of CTE students, provide students with soft skills and employable training, increase the number of students who hold industry certifications and prepare students for career and college success.
"CTE equips our students with the confidence to pursue their dreams," Laffoon said.
Purifoy said he started what he calls the "7 secrets of our successful school" when he came to Farmington nine years ago.
These secrets include building strong relationships, high expectations for continuous growth, a guaranteed, viable written curriculum, goal setting action plans with coaching, collaborative planning in teams, monitoring and data driven decisions and common assessments.
"That's what we strive for," Purifoy said. "Our teachers know this."
He listed all the teachers involved in CTE but also highlighted that, along with teaching the courses, these teachers also are involved in other ways with the school.
For 2021-22, Farmington High had 319 students who received certifications in different CTE programs and 48 students as completers, which means they finished all the courses for one pathway over a three-year period.
"That's a fourth of our students, a pretty amazing accomplishment," Purifoy said.
CTE enrollment declined during the covid years but he said it's back on the rise. In addition, courses may change each year because the school polls its students and provides courses they want to take.
Following the first part of the showcase, participants were divided into groups and toured the different classrooms to find out more about the CTE program. Students in each of those programs gave presentations on what they were learning and how it was helping them for the future.
The showcase ended back in the Performing Arts Center with a closing by Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Students in broadcasting are working on the school's daily newscast shown throughout the school. Students are in charge of the complete production.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Luke Flanagan, left, and Cade Cox, both seniors at Farmington High, tell about the courses offered in engineering, robotics and computer integrated manufacturing with the school's career and technical education program.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Farmington High student Kylee Wilbanks talks about the marketing and fashion merchandising classes that are offered as part of the school's career and technical education program.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Students in Mallory Noggle's science class work on a project to dissect a cows eye. Noggle, a teacher with the school's career and technical education program, teaches medical interventions, environmental science and human body systems.