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Pre-Institutes Locations |
CHOICE IT Gets VIP Visit from House Majority Leader
The CHOICE IT Institute at Niceville High School was abuzz with excitement as US House of Representatives Majority Leader John Boehner and US Representative Jeff Miller visited the campus to see how the innovative program was preparing its students for the work force. Air Force JROTC cadets greeted the Congressmen and Superintendent Don Gaetz with sabers raised high as the VIP’s arrived to hear industry leaders, students and teachers give presentations about the CHOICE program. Other distinguished guests included School Board members Cindy Frakes and Howard Hill, Superintendent of Non-Traditional Schools Dr. Frank Fuller and Mary Lou Reid and Linda Sumblin of the Work Force Development Board of Walton-Okaloosa Counties and Dr. Robert McEachern, Assistant Superintendent of Central Schools. Until his selection as House Majority Leader, Boehner was the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and was a driving force in the passage of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Boehner and Miller listened carefully as civilian Brian Braziel, who provides computer and IT support at Eglin Air Force Base, explained how industry certification enables businesses to identify the best-qualified potential employees, giving them the certainty that the job-seeker is actually capable of doing the work required. Several students gave Powerpoint presentations about the courses they have taken and the industry certifications they have already received, showing the guests some of their actual work. Junior Brad Barker pointed out that he had already made $600 designing a website for a charter fishing operation, while senior Michael Galati emphasized that his knowledge of Cisco networks and the Oracle database would save him from "flipping burgers" to pay his way through college. The skills he's learned and the certificates he has already earned mean that good part-time work will always be available to him. Senior Kyle Schumacher surprised the House Leader by showing him how many people had looked up "Boehner" on Google yesterday, and exactly what categories were associated with those searches. “There are no more secrets,” quipped Gaetz. After the student presentations, the guests moved to a smaller setting, as the IT teachers took over to explain the importance of what they were doing and the training they themselves had gone through in order to teach their students. Oracle instructor Sean McSheehy recounted the story of his telephone call to Fuller from California, asking what he should do if he didn’t pass the difficult certification test. “Don’t come back,” said Fuller, “Just take it again until you pass it!” It must have been just the inspiration he needed: McSheehy ended up passing near the top of his class. Boehner expressed his amazement at all that he had seen. "I've visited over 1000 schools in my career and I am very impressed with the commitment on the part of the school district and the staff in this building," said Boehner. "Imparting this knowledge is the most important aspect of what you do." "There was no question about where to bring the Leader and what to show him," said Miller. "I'm very proud of Okaloosa County's lead in challenging students and preparing them for the workforce in this way." More information about the CHOICE education model: Okaloosa Schools, under the leadership of Superintendent Don Gaetz and School Board Member Cindy Frakes, created the CHOICE program two years ago, with start-up funds from the Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and Walton Counties. CHOICE has been declared the state’s model for career education and has won extensive national recognition for combining rigorous academics with relevant career preparation. There are now five CHOICE Institutes operating in Okaloosa County, each linked to higher education partners and industry leaders. The CHOICE Creative Arts Institute partners with the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina, an international leader in digital education and animation. The Creative Arts Institute is located at the Common Campus of the University of West Florida and Okaloosa Schools in Fort Walton Beach. Also at the Common Campus is the CHOICE Construction Technology Institute, a joint venture of the University of West Florida and Okaloosa Schools. The Information Technology Institute is housed at Niceville High School. There, students earn UWF and high school credits with nationally recognized industry certifications granted by Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco. The Engineering Institute partners with the University of West Florida/University of Florida College of Engineering and is located at Choctawhatchee High School. As noted above, the CHOICE Aerospace Institute is linked to Embry-Riddle and to Northwest Florida aerospace contractors and employers. CHOICE has been declared a state and national model for career education. Winner of numerous awards for educational innovation, CHOICE is being replicated in six different counties across Florida, thanks to a grant from Workforce Florida, Inc. For information about Okaloosa’s CHOICE Institutes, visit www.choiceinstitutes.com, or contact: Dr. Frank Fuller |
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Copyright 2007 by Okaloosa County School District |
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