By Holly Roeder
Staff Writer
The Chester County Board of Education met Tuesday, May 16, with all members in attendance.
The first item on the evening’s agenda was the spotlight/celebration and recognition of Chester County High School teacher James Carter. Superintendent Troy Kilzer introduced Carter, who is in the running for the statewide teacher of the year. Kilzer shared that Carter’s students willingly show up and put in extra work on their own time, adding that he is glad Chester County has teachers who are able to motivate interest within the students. “They have a passion for what they’re doing,” he said. “They have instilled in the kids the vision to see that there is a career in that and there’s fun along the way. (Carter) is our teacher of the year… I believe he’s got a real good shot at the state level.”
Board Chair Shane Connor added Carter is one of 27 in the running.
Carter addressed the board, telling a bit about his work in the CCHS Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. His program’s success, he said, comes from the students themselves – their drive and desire to learn. “It is the students who’s got me to where I am right now.”
“There’s students out there that’s got a lot of things to offer that they didn’t know, and I felt like it was the right thing to do to give them the opportunity. And once I started that opportunity, it’s grown – not only from the students, but from the community,” adding the students have been supported by local businesses, community members and parents. “The students are loving it; they’re having a great time.”
Carter expressed gratitude to his administrators in allowing him the space to create different program opportunites. “That’s a blessing in itself,” he said. “I’m just blessed that I’ve got the trust of everybody to let me get the students to that point.”
Students competed in the annual Truck Shootout this year, Carter said. This is the fourth time they have attended the truck autocross event, with Henderson’s teams being the only students in attendance, competing against adults. The trucks are built, painted and driven by his students. This year, he had three girls and three boys who competed. He added he has had several students who have been offered jobs as a result of this event. The students have also received driving tips with NASA (National Auto Sport Association) trainers and the Henderson Police Department, and they have been invited to the C10 Nationals.
In addition to the programs Carter has implemented within the classroom, this summer he will be holding a summer camp in conjunction with Quality Metal Stamping and Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs. The manufacturing summer camp is a STEM program using science to assemble RC Tractor Kits with a pulling competition at the end of the week.
Carter also mentioned two car shows held by the program have been successful. Trophies for the shows are made by students with scrap auto parts.
The next step in the Tennessee Teacher of the Year process is the top nine finalists announcement later this month, at which point the competition moves to Nashville.
Connor transitioned the meeting to discussing implementation of the innovative school model and Kilzer expressed the importance of preparing students for future careers or providing skill sets for future education.
In other news, regarding Capital Project updates, Supt. Kilzer stated they are waiting for plans for the Ag, auto Shop and field house and that the Construction Management Contract was finalized May 5. The drive around Jacks Creek Elementary is reportedly complete and was to begin being used the last two days of the school year for passenger cars.
Kilzer said the TCAP raw scores are in but have not yet been converted to scale scores to enable gauging proficiency within the categories.
The next meeting Chester County Board of Education meeting is Thursday, June 8, at the board office.
