Student portrait day at the Children First Academy was a little more chic than usual, thanks to the hairstyling done by West-MEC cosmetology students.

Cutting Edge Style Academy donated their time and services to the Children First Academy, formally one of the two Pappas Schools that served homeless children from across the valley.

Cutting Edge students coiffed and styled the boys hair and dolled up the girls with bow and barrettes. They also handed out combs to the boys and brushes to the girls. Volunteer photographers snapped the portraits after each student was given a fun new hair-do.

Offering styling services to children on their picture day is a great example of West-MEC students gaining real world experience while contributing to the community.

Career and Technical Education is a fantastic model that gives high school students specialized skill sets and provides positive professional and leadership development that enables them to be competitive in the marketplace.

Dysart High School students are getting real working knowledge of the architectural industry on their campus. The Dysart Architectural Program is a Career and Technical Education course supported by West-MEC.

Students learn all about architectural structure, drawing and floor plans through the use of multimillion dollar software applications at Dysart. Scott Thomas, course instructor, thinks of the class as a functional architectural company, providing students with skills that are relevant and applicable to working in the industry. 

West-MEC announces the launch of five signature courses in Career and Technical Education for the 2009-2010 school year. Programs in building trades, fire science and medium/heavy diesel technology will be offered in addition to West-MEC’s already successful courses in cosmetology and emergency medical technician (EMT). West-MEC is able to offer all five-signature programs as a result of collaborative efforts with business and industry and post-secondary institutions.

Courses will be taught at on-site training facilities, where students will be introduced to industry-standard equipment and instruction.

Cosmetology
Student cosmetologists will prepare for a career in Cosmetology at the Cutting Edge Style Academy, a program offered by West-MEC in part­nership with Maricopa Skill Center.

Building Trades
For those students looking to gain skills in construction, West-MEC provides the opportunity to learn practical building techniques in a modern building trades program, offered by the joint-efforts of West-MEC and the Western Apprenticeship Coordinators Association of Arizona.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Future emergency care practitioners are taught the most up-to-date medical care methods in the emergency medial technician program through a collaboration of West-MEC and Glendale Community College, Paradise Valley Community College and The SouthWest Skill Center at Estrella Mountain Community College.

Fire Science
Service-oriented individuals with a career aim in firefighting will gain hands-on experience in the West-MEC and Paradise Valley Community College fire science program.

Medium Heavy Diesel Technology
West-MEC, in partnership with Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star of Arizona, will offer an interactive course in medium heavy diesel technology focusing on the latest techniques in diesel mechanics.

Students interested in West-MEC’s signature courses should contact their high school guidance counselor or visit www.west-mec.org for more information.

The Millennium High School FFA chapter earns high accolades in parliamentary procedure. Chapter members competed in Indianapolis, Ind. at the 81st annual convention of the National FFA Organization. Students worked hard to attain the award, mastering the Roberts Rule of Order in written and oral examinations. The Millennium team bested FFA chapters from Michigan, Oklahoma and Missouri in a variety of challenges in front of an audience of more than 500 people.

A team of six current and former students from Millennium High School walked off with the top prize in the parliamentary procedure career development event and were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship to help pay for college. Team members are Amanda Seely, Sean Brockman, Steven Richey, Racheal Redman, Krystal Moncada and Connor Eyherabide. They won the state contest in June in Tucson, which qualified them for the trip to Indianapolis. Four of the team members graduated earlier this year and are attending college, while Krystal and Connor are seniors at Millennium High School in Goodyear.

Travel, lodging and meal expenses to Indianapolis for the team amounted to about $800 per person. The costs were shared by the Arizona FFA and West-MEC. West-MEC supports several Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) like the FFA, with funding to attend camps and conferences.