More than 30 Brixner Junior High School eighth-graders are taking career and technical education classes at Mazama High School this fall as part of a new program that expands CTE courses to junior high school students.
The 32 students in the program’s first semester take two classes – introduction to junior health occupations and junior manufacturing tech. They start their school day at Mazama before being bused to Brixner for their regular classes.
During classes last month, the students practiced welding under the direction of metals manufacturing teacher Kai Ranson. Students in health sciences teacher Taryn Gomez’s health occupations class were learning about the parts of the spine after finishing a unit that culminated in students creating a full mouth of teeth.
The junior CTE program is an opportunity to expose younger students to opportunities at the high school level and begin engaging them in learning that has a purpose, said Sergio Cisneros, Mazama vice principal.
“We have to think differently about how we approach student engagement,” he said. “The data shows that the more students are involved, whether in extracurricular activities, CTE and advanced classes, or athletics, the more likely they are to graduate, graduate on time, and transition to a career, job, or university.”
Mazama Principal Jennifer Hawkins said engaging students in the lower grades in programs they can continue in high school will hopefully provide continued motivation to succeed in the classroom.
“It’s reframing the idea of school community,” she said. “We have a Mazama community, but it’s not just a 9th-12th-grade community, it’s a K-12th-grade community. We want to provide all kids a vision of what it means to graduate. We want younger students to learn the Mazama culture and understand their success matters, their ability to pass classes matters, and graduation matters.”
Ranson and Gomez are new teachers with background in the industries they teach, which is one of the keys to successful CTE programs. Ranson worked as a welding teacher at Klamath Community College and Gomez worked in cardiac ultrasound before turning to a career in education.
“They have the gift and they have the passion,” Cisneros said.
Brixner students who successfully complete their junior CTE courses are able to take more advanced CTE courses when they enter high school as freshman.
The decision to offer exploratory CTE courses for junior high students came last year after Mazama was awarded a $250,000 CTE revitalization grant to renovate its metal shop and expand its manufacturing program.
The district also allocated funds to hire an additional full-time manufacturing teacher starting in September 2024 as well as money for essential tools and equipment for both the metal and wood shops. The additional manufacturing teacher allowed Mazama to offer the CTE exploratory program to its feeder junior high students.
To enter the program, Brixner students must fill out an application – the students currently in classes applied last spring – and express why they are interested. A second group of students will be able to apply for second semester.
Travis Fast, principal at Brixner Junior High School, said CTE courses are a great way for young teens to engage in the learning process.
“The program exposes them to different career opportunities and challenges them to start thinking about the future,” he said.
Mazama offers CTE pathways in manufacturing/metals, construction, agriculture food processing, automotive, education, health occupations, and business. All CTE pathway programs have alignment to community college curriculum and most offer dual credit courses.
