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In the last two weeks of April, Culinary Arts students attended a field trip to Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville and prepared for the Mock Restaurant event. At the field trip, students were given a tour of the college and provided with a seven course meal. The Mock Restaurant is the capstone event for the Culinary Arts program and consists of inviting students' parents, guardians, or other family members to attend and providing them with a five course meal. The menu is chosen by students and prepared entirely from scratch. This year, the menu consists of homemade nachos, potato bacon soup, bistro salad, chicken sofrito, and strawberry shortcake. The event will take place in the first week of May, and teaches students about menu planning, plating, food costing, and kitchen professionality.

HOYA Monthly Update

As we wrap up the month of April, I want to take a moment to share the incredible progress our HOYA students have made.

This month, our focus has been on managing career readiness and preparing for the transition into the workforce. Students worked hard to build professional portfolios that include resumes, cover letters, professional statements, and letters of recommendation from references they identified and secured. They also gathered job shadow evaluations that highlight their professional strengths and collected proof of CPR certification. In addition, students completed job applications and spent time learning about professional behavior and interview skills.

To build confidence, students participated in mock interviews in class, and some had the valuable opportunity to complete mock interviews with healthcare professionals. These experiences, along with their completed portfolios, will be essential tools as they begin applying for jobs in the near future.

In the lab, we continued hands-on practice while completing final skill check-offs. Students have shown great dedication in developing and refining their clinical skills.

We also welcomed a guest speaker on April 20th—a medical military professional—who did an excellent job explaining the roles and responsibilities within that career path. It was an engaging and informative experience for all.

On April 23rd, we completed our final clinical day. I am proud to share that all students have officially finished the CNA portion of the class. This is a huge accomplishment, and I am incredibly proud of their hard work and commitment.

Looking ahead to May, we will begin reviewing for the CNA state test, which is scheduled for May 20th. Students will be able to sign up in class once registration opens, and I will share updates as soon as that information becomes available.

We are also excited to celebrate our students at the Pinning Ceremony on May 13th, where we will recognize our future CNAs and their achievements.

Thank you for your continued support

Teachers: Long sleeved shirts are available for $15.  Please contact Elizabeth Hazzard at 815.275.3948

Careers In Business (CIB)

April 2026

The first year students have been job shadowing (JS) since October 2025, on Wednesday’s, and will continue until the end of the school year. Students have been welcomed by the community in the following areas: accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, real estate, project management, banking, investing, and marketing just to name a handful.

The goal of shadowing is to help students learn about various career paths in an effort to solidify their choice or perhaps remove it as an option. Therefore, saving them time and money in the future. The academic end of JS includes students polishing their communication skills in a variety of ways: using proper email etiquette with their mentors, researching and writing pre-job shadowing memos, post JS thank you letters, and making PowerPoint presentations to share with the class about each experience.

Often, students find a business they would like to intern for. This year, I’m thrilled that 12-14 of the current juniors have chosen to take the second year of the program which means having an internship next school year. In fact, some begin in May of the current year. It is my sincere belief that having an internship elevates each student from other students; in particular, when “selling” yourself to colleges and trying to obtain scholarships. The internship is also dual credit which is an added plus!

Students have also begun competing in the Stock Market Game (SMG) and it is extremely competitive between each team! Teams are developed with student input and any team member may be fired from their group if they don’t perform. The consequence is having to complete the entire project alone. Or, they may quit their team but only if another team is willing to hire them. The reason is to emulate the real world where a lack of performance has very real consequences. During the SMG, students learn how to research stocks, analyze each using a variety of metrics, trade Long or Short, buy bonds, etc. Then they use Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to create team portfolios, presentations, and evaluations which they present in mid-May to each of the SMG teams.

Lastly, thank you to the area businesses for supporting our CIB program! This is an immeasurable experience for the students and we are always very appreciative. 

Board Minutes from March 5, 2026

The students have been learning out how to figure material lists and what tools are needed to install various types of floor coverings. We are close to  being finished with this unit and will be spending some time on interior trim and finish carpentry when we return from spring break.

PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS E-LEARNING

Thursday, April 9, 2026
1:30 p.m.

CareerTEC office
2037 W. Galena Ave.
Freeport, IL 61032
(815) 232-0709

In compliance with Public Act 101-0012, CareerTEC will hold an E-Learning Hearing

prior to the Board of Directors Meeting
on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.
from the CareerTEC office conference room

2037 W. Galena Ave.
Freeport, IL 61032

E-LEARNING PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA
I. Roll call
II. Proposed E-Learning Plan for CareerTEC
III. Public Comment
IV. Adjournment

CareerTEC Board of Directors Meeting
CareerTEC Conference Room
2037 W. Galena Ave., Freeport, IL 61032

1:30 p.m., April 9, 2026
AGENDA

I. ROLL CALL
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
III. APPROVAL OF MARCH OPEN-SESSION MINUTES
IV. COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC COMMENTS
A. Affiliated Institutions/Agencies, Member Schools, Public Forum
V. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
A. Career and Technical Education Improvement (CTEI) Grant
B. Perkins Grant
C. Area Career Center Update
D. SY26 Safety Drills
E. SY27 Enrollment Numbers
F. Entrance Requirements
G. Attendance Guidelines
H. HOYA Updates
I. End of SY26 Schedule
VI. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Motion to Approve Routine Items
1. March Bills
2. Destruction of Closed-Session Recordings prior to 10/1/24

VII. CLOSED SESSION

VIII. ACTION ITEMS
A. Approval of Renewal of E-Learning Plan and Submission of Plan & Verification Form
B. Approval of Submission for Area Career Center Step 3 Proposal
C. Approval of Closed-Session Items
IX. ADJOURNMENT
NEXT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING: 1:30 p.m., Thursday, May 7, 2026