TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – It was a day of exploration for some 8th graders in the Tyler school district. Students got to meet with other students at the Career and Technology Center to talk about future career ideas.
It’s the first year Tyler ISD is having every 8th grader in the district come through the doors of the Career and Technology Center to see what their 26 programs have to offer students. Sarah Jane Walker, the Career and Technology Education Counselor, said the day was all about engaging with the students and getting them prepared for high school.
“Everything from construction technology to culinary arts, cosmetology to engineering, health sciences, animals sciences, manufacturing, even this next year we’re adding a plumbing program,” Walker said.
Walker said it’s not just being academically ready for the future, but being career and college ready for the future. Eighth-grader Sydney Cook said she gravitated toward the animal science table and learned how to go about that path.
“I want to be a larger animal vet,” Cook said. “So they’re like okay, you need to take the smaller animal classes first, and then you can advance to the larger stuff.”
Students talked with other students and got hands-on practice with certain items. Hayes Feldman is an 8th grader who is considering engineering, and he stopped by some stations.
“Health science is cool, and the 3D printing thing over there is cool. Just seeing how they 3D print the stuff and the controller,” Feldman said.
“Just because I know that I have more options than just the one thing that I want to do. And if I do, like what if I just want to be a cosmetologist or culinary artist, just good to have options,” Cook said.
By next Friday, Walker said they expect to have more than 1,300 eighth graders come to their facility and learn about the programs.
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