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Wahoo Middle School earns NE Dept. of Education's CTE program award!

School honored for its excellence in career and technical education programming

March 06, 2020

Wahoo Middle School's SkillsUSA group poses at a recent State Convention. SkillsUSA is one of many initiatives WMS has implemented in its career and technical education programming, which has resulted in a 2020 Nebraska CTE Outstanding Middle School Program Award by the NE Department of Education!

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Wahoo Middle School's SkillsUSA group poses at a recent State Convention. SkillsUSA is one of many initiatives WMS has implemented in its career and technical education programming, which has resulted in a 2020 Nebraska CTE Outstanding Middle School Program Award by the NE Department of Education!

Wahoo Middle School was recently named Nebraska Career and Technical Education (CTE) Outstanding Middle School Program of 2020! This award recognized Wahoo Middle School for outstanding achievements in its career education programs. 

Individual instructional programs within a school/college or a schools/colleges as a whole are eligible to receive this award from the Nebraska Department of Education. The specific criteria for this award included the following:

• Instructional programs aligned to the Nebraska Career Education Model

• Programs that demonstrate quality areas such as:

  • Student achievement in both career and academic arenas

  • Innovative instruction based on a state model program of study

  • Leadership and personal development through career technical student organizations

  • Effective implementation of career guidance and work-based learning

  • Alignment to Nebraska’s workforce needs and economic priorities

  • Community engagement

“Wahoo Public Schools’ staff and administration have done an outstanding job of implementing and supporting career and technical education at a number of levels within our school district,” commented WMS Principal Marc Kaminski. “This award is a direct reflection of the hard work that our staff has put into not only the curriculum and programs, but the instruction that supports this area of practice.”

WPS Director of Learning Dr. Josh Snyder agreed.

“This recognition confirms our district’s emphasis on providing students with multiple opportunities to explore potential career and college options beyond high school,” Snyder said. “We’ve been able to further support this career exploration using the Engage! Curriculum, which is aligned to the Nebraska Career Readiness standards.”

Snyder also explained that the increased number of students participating in the career SkillsUSA program is also a reflection of the staff’s work to promote career skills. 

“The staff at Wahoo Middle School are committed to the continued development of these experiences for all students,” Snyder added.

"I enjoy working with middle school students because it gives me a chance to show them a little bit of what we do in high school over a nine-week session," stated WMS/WHS CTE Teacher and SkillsUSA Adviser Jon Herrera. "We provide an exploratory curriculum for our STS courses so students know what options they have once they enter high school."

Herrera also praised administrative support for the school's SkillsUSA chapter.

"SkillsUSA is a great way for students to get leadership opportunities, and it provides them with a way to showcase their skills in a variety of competitions," Herrera said.

Staff and administration will attend an awards luncheon at the Nebraska Career Education Conference on June 9 to accept the award at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska.