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August 14, 2023 Board Minutes

HOYA 1 

Aug/Sept 2023 Article

HOYA 1 students have been doing activities to get to know each other. They have already completed a group project in which they learned about the medical advancements from ancient times to the present. Their journals were started with what motivates them and they listed as many health occupations as they could think of in another group activity. In the first textbook chapters we covered the different healthcare settings and the different healthcare roles. Upcoming topics will include empathy, with an eye opening activity, ethics, and communication. They have completed the reading assessment at Highland College and will be fitted for scrubs soon.

Agenda for September 7, 2023

CIS 

Aug/Sept 2023 Article

This year we have started working in groups where each group has a team lead.  Throughout the year everyone will be in the team lead position.  CIS 1 has started putting together PC’s and learning about safety and different types of electricity.  They have also put together a set of expectations to be followed throughout the year.  CIS 2 has started working on the Cisco Network Academy Packet Tracer.  They have also replaced a faulty Meraki MR-36 Wireless Access Point due to its firmware refusing to upgrade. In addition CIS 2 is helping out St John’s by working on all of their IP dome cameras.  They have also set up tech laptops with the Ubuntu OS that they will be using for troubleshooting and technical projects this year.  Next week we will have our first test and start planning for our field trip and job shadow visits.  We are off to a great start!

HOYA II is off to a great start.  Students passed their state CNA exam over the summer and most are looking forward to building upon their foundation and skills they gained in HOYA 1 to use during their internships this year.  Students were encouraged to have fun while maintaining their very full plates during this final year of high school.  We will be discussing how stress affects our health and ways to help relieve some of the stress they will definitely be feeling this year.  

Each student will be choosing an employability skill each month that they can work on at their internship site.  They will write a short memo discussing why the skill is important in healthcare and what they specifically did that month to make improvements.  

We learned that health insurance is an important part of our lives, but that it also has many challenges for the customer. We discussed several types of insurance, the difference between Medicare and Medicare advantage plans as well as the importance of having a secondary insurance.  We discussed how many times physicians may have to change plans of care and/or medications because insurance companies have preferred medications as well as expected timelines for patient care.  

HOYA 2 students have shared their thoughts on what they wish they would have known during those scary, challenging first days and months of their HOYA 1 journey via their first bulletin board project.  They are hoping this can help calm some of the new students’ fears and apprehension especially during these first few weeks of the “boring” stuff.

Construction Trades 

August/September Article

The first week of September we will be finishing up our OSHA safety training, then transitioning  to the FHS workshop. We will be remodeling our tool/room & organizing our workspace to get started.

Once set up we will begin our lessons, starting with basic framing. We will be starting the construction of new ticket booths for the Stephenson county fairgrounds. Through the course of the year we will be covering several different trades in the construction of the booths.

Before the hands-on lessons start we will be doing some introductory testing in framing and other trades to see our knowledge base and measure our progress. 

Looking forward to getting into the shop and getting started with 15 new and 5 returning students

Culinary Arts

Aug/Sept Article 2023

Culinary Arts began the year by learning about food sanitation to prepare students for the industry-recognized sanitation certification. We will be taking the exam in about two weeks, and the students must score a 70% or higher to receive their sanitation license. In September, in addition to learning about sanitation procedures, students will be learning about cooking methods. These include sauteing, roasting, braising, grilling, deep frying, pan frying, baking, steaming, boiling, poaching, and simmering. For instance, to practice sauteing, students will prepare garlic herb potatoes, brown sugar glazed carrots, and chicken sofrito.

Careers In Business (CIB)

August/September 2023

We are so blessed to have two classes this year due to the increase in enrollment numbers. Personally, I’m very excited and thankful to teach so many students and am enjoying the first week with them. ☺ 

The first several days of class students spent time getting to know one another through different games (see photo), ice breakers, and conversation. We are focusing on communication skills as they are the most important skill set in any career. It takes skill to have conversations with people you don’t know or that you may disagree with. We discuss what we’ve learned about real life situations in school, sports, and the workplace. Their first test is Tuesday, September 5th! After that, students will quickly dive into writing college business proposals, different types of business letters, and memos. They will also begin using MS Word to help them accomplish their writing. 

CIB II has another group of wonderful seniors who have an internship at local businesses. Some of the students began in the beginning of June to accommodate their busy school schedule and have been working all summer long while others have just started. It was the student’s responsibility to find their own internship. Each one has done a fantastic job and I’m so proud of them! Below is a list of the students, their home school, and their placements. 

Daneli Ayala, Pearl City, Brown’s Shoe Fit

Ethan Baker, Pecatonica, German American Bank

Benjamin Briggs, Orangeville, Matzke Diesel & Equipment Service

Jordan DoBran, Pecatonica, Clear Perspective Advisors

In addition to their internships, they will be working on portfolios, college and career papers, volunteering, and presentations just to name a few things. I’m looking forward to seeing how much they grow in their respective fields during the school year.  

"The TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) program is a federally funded grant program sponsored by Highland Community College. The TRIO EOC program is supported by three staff members; Director, Sam Zumdahl, and College Access Specialists, Jennifer Smith-Norman and Kirk Cabana.

The EOC team assists high school juniors and seniors, as well as adults, to navigate the admissions and financial aid processes necessary to attend the vocational, 2-year, or 4-year program of their choice. They support project participants by helping facilitate the process of getting started in higher education by providing a wide array of services based on the identified participant need. All services provided to participants are FREE.

This program targets low-income and first-generation individuals interested in pursuing higher education, but with a portion of the funds they are able to serve anyone who has not obtained a bachelor’s degree."

The TRIO/Project Succeed office is located on the first floor of the Marvin-Burt Liberal Arts Center.

EOC website: highland.edu/eoc

EOC application form: https://botform.compansol.com/230643633889870

EOC dependent income form (we need from parents to verify income): https://botform.compansol.com/230804848877066

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