SYRACUSE - By the beginning of this school year, the newly renovated Wawasee Area Career and Technical Education building was completed enough that classes could take place in it.
On Feb. 26, the building will be formally dedicated at 5:45 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. Guest speakers for the building dedication will include the school principal, school corporation superintendent and school board members.
An open house for the CTE building will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and the first 200 people will be provided a free dinner, according to WACTE Director Tracy Roberts.
During the open house, visitors receive a "passport" that they can get stamped in each of the six different CTE areas. A fully stamped passport will earn the person free admission into the Wawasee versus Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball game at 6:15 p.m. A completed passport also will earn a person a chance to win an Ipod or Wii during half time of the game.
"We're excited about that," said Roberts. "A lot of people are working together to make it happen."
The six areas of the WACTE are agriculture, automotive services technology, building trades technology, business and business technology lab, family and consumer sciences and technology education.
The Wawasee Cooperative partners with the communities of Fairfield, Wawasee and West Noble, along with Ivy Tech Community College, to provide the career and technical education classes. Some of the courses offered through the cooperative include agriculture, building trades, cosmetology, family and consumer science, health care, law enforcement and radio.
Wawasee High School opened in 1969, Roberts said. From then until 1987, Dick Wysong was the director of the CTE. The building trades program started in 1973. When the vocational education enrollment began in 1969-70, courses included bookkeeping, advanced typing, shorthand and machine shop and welding to electronics, homemaking and occupational clothing. There were 815 students in vocational education, including duplication.
Pat Huber took over as director from 1987 to 1999, with Phil Metcalf leading as director from 1999 to 2009. Roberts then took over. The Wawasee Cooperative now has 1,151 students, including duplication. Wawasee High School has a student enrollment of about 1,012 students.
Roberts said 31.79 percent of the students in the Cooperative are non-traditional students. Non-traditional means a female student may be taking an automotive course, or a male student may be enrolled in cosmetology.
There are 11 teachers at Wawasee in the Cooperative.
"Our biggest area is business where we have four teachers," said Roberts. Three teachers are in the area of technology education, two in agriculture, one in automotive and one in family and consumer science.
While the dedication is Feb. 26, a greenhouse will be added to the back of the renovated WACTE building in the spring.
Inside the newly renovated building, there's an agriculture area with a focus on small engines. A lab facility is a door away.
Upstairs, there's a large computer lab room. Wednesday afternoon, ag instructor Mariah Roberts was teaching a small animal science course. Students were studying reptiles, but the course covers everything from cats and dogs to other species of animals.
"Having this computer lab was part of the renovation project," said Tracy Roberts. "... It opens up so many different things we can do."
The entire new building is handicapped accessible. An elevator is provided for those who need it to get to the second floor.
Brad Craig's automotive class Wednesday were working on everything from "bumper to bumper", he said. Some students were working on a brake system, another was rebuilding a steering column and another was trying to fix an alternator.
"Most of our programs are geared toward juniors and seniors," said Roberts.
Craig said the renovated building included new lockerrooms, restrooms, offices, doors and windows; the whole facility was repainted; the floors were resealed and repainted; and a new heating system was put in.The building trades program also has a room to store equipment when they're not on the job site. Currently, the Wawasee Building Trades students are working on a house for Habitat for Humanity.
Another room is the automotive classroom. The room is large enough to have engines displayed for teachers to demonstrate on.
"It's not like a traditional classroom," said Roberts. "It's oversized so teachers can bring in things and students can get hands-on application."
There are several programs in the high school building still, including family and consumer science.
"We just think we're doing some neat things," said Roberts. "... We're giving kids a new sense of excitement for career and technical education."
For more information, visit online at www.wawasee-careerlane.net
