Contributed photo The JROTC program provided a grand entrance as guests arrived beneath a sword arch.

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Contributed photo Chamber members and other guests took tours of the high school’s CTE classrooms and learned more about what the programs offer students at Richmond Senior High.

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On Feb. 28, Richmond Senior High School broke out the white tablecloths and struck up the band to bring a touch of class to the community during February’s Business After Hours. The event was held in partnership with the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce and offered the public a chance to take a closer look at the school system’s Career and Technical Education program.

Chamber members and guests were welcomed into the school by way of a sword arch, provided by the school’s JROTC cadets, and were then given student-led tours of different CTE departments throughout the school. Richmond Senior High currently offers competency-based courses in eight program areas, including Agricultural Education, Business, Finance, and Information Technology Education, Career Development Education, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Health Science Education, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Education, Technology, Engineering and Design Education and Trade and Industrial Education.

Each of these areas provides students with school-based, work-based, or community-based learning opportunities.

Combined with other academic offerings, career-technical education assists all enrollees with career goals and high school graduation requirements. Students are to have a career development plan outlining courses to be taken to meet a tentative career objective and obtain a high school diploma.

Following the tours, guests were escorted into the school cafeteria for a catered dinner and door prizes — many of which were handcrafted by students in the CTE programs. Throughout the evening, chamber members also heard performances from the Richmond Senior High Jazz Ensemble and Show Choir.

Richmond County Schools Superintendent George E. Norris and Sharon Johnson, CTE Director, thanked all of the teachers and staff members for their participation in the program.

“We have really come a long way with our programs because so many of you have become active on our CTE advisory board,” Johnson said to chamber members.

John Stevenson also commented on the success of the CTE program, calling the experience “fantastic.”

For more information about the Career and Technical Education program in Richmond County Schools, contact Sharon Johnson at 910-582-2860.