Washington State Skill Center Association

U.S. Border Patrol Agents Visit NCTA Criminal Justice Classes Students in the NCTA Criminal Justice classes were honored to meet two professional United States Border Patrol (U.S.B.P.) agents, Agent Romero and Agent Fitzgerald. The agents spent time with the students, enhancing their understanding of the U.S.B.P. and its mission. They also shared valuable insights into the qualities, expectations, and characteristics required for careers in the U.S. Border Patrol and law enforcement fields.

Have you taken the EDASC Business Climate Survey yet? NCTA partner, EDASC (Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County) is asking all Skagit business leaders and business owners to complete its Business Climate Survey. The survey is intended to gather vital insights from business leaders like yourself to paint a picture of the current challenges and opportunities facing our business community. Your feedback will be instrumental in shaping EDASC’s strategies and initiatives for its business retention, attraction, and expansion programming. The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete. Results will be shared with the community, but your information will remain confidential. For questions, contact EDASC Economic Development Manager Aaron Weinberg at aaron@skagit.org or 360-639-8849. Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N3VN5SS

Video Game Development, Animation & Graphic Design Classes Tour Wizards of the Coast... Wizards of the Coast, renowned for iconic games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, recently hosted an engaging event for our students here at NCTA. Over 40 students from our Animation and Graphic Design and Video Game Development courses attended. This was made possible by a sponsorship by Games for Change, in partnership with Hasbro, and under the expert guidance of Mary Elizabeth Pearson. Employees generously volunteered their time, and some students had the incredible opportunity to spend time with John Hight, President of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming, among the other 20+ Hasbro employees. Instructors Jason Pasimio and Linton Porteous extend their heartfelt thanks. "Designing the cards and talking to the employees was such an amazing experience. It helped me picture a potential path to a career in the game design industry!" — Grace, Game Development Student "The experience gave me more insight into a different side of animation and game design. I would tell other students to definitely take advantage of opportunities like this!" — Bell, Animation + Graphic Design Student "This trip was not only fun, but it also gave me a clearer picture of how much hard work goes into making these games. If you ever get the chance to go, do it!" — Travis, Game Development Student "This was a great chance to talk to professionals who have been in the game design industry. It definitely influenced me to put more effort into my original ideas!" — Grizz, Game Development Student ...and Welcomes Academy of Interactive Entertainment Matt Thomas, Events Coordinator for the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE), visited NCTA to speak with students in the Video Game Development, Animation, and Graphic Design programs. AIE, based in Seattle, is the world's first non-profit specialist educator in games and visual effects. The academy supports student learning in fields such as 3D animation, art, game design, and programming. Like NCTA, AIE emphasizes hands-on learning, with instruction led by industry experts. Partnership Opportunity Looking ahead, Animation & Graphic Design is collaborating with Video Game Development to compete in the AMES Showcase in May 2025. The Advanced Media Entertainment Society is "a Washington State non-profit building community between high school students and professionals storytellers in the media arts." NCTA is need of industry professionals to help develop student projects including: public speaking, short animations, video game design, and other related skills. If you'd like to know more, please contact Mr. Jerry Grisham.

CBTECH Video Game Programming-FBLA Member of the Month. Ace Harper and Jesse Erlenmeyer Ace Harper PM Session CBTECH Video Game Programming student Ace Harper stood out this month for embracing the school’s motto “On time, every day, with a positive attitude.” She has been hard working and helpful with her fellow classmates. She practices good leadership and is always willing to learn. Ace embodies what we strive to achieve in our classroom and we are honored to have her as our Member of the Month for November. Jesse Erlenmeyer Jesse Erlenmeyer is the December Member of the Month in Video Game Programming. He is a good example of someone who is not only on time, every day, with a good attitude, but he also does an amazing job working with his classmates and team members. He gives them the help they need, assisting them, teaching them tips and tricks to help them progress better individually as well as a team. Because of Jesse, his team is guaranteed to have successful projects with the help of his leadership qualities.

WaHi Hosts Annual Career and College Fair On October 17th, Walla Walla High School held its annual College & Career Fair. Several local colleges and organizations volunteered to come and talk to our students about post-secondary options, scholarships, and volunteer and job opportunities. Thank you to our Career and College Specialist, Karen Ruzicka for organizing this event! hank you to all of the colleges and organizations for participating in this event! We appreciate your continued partnership and support. Blue Mountain Community Foundation, Careers in Education, Central Washington University, Columbia Basin College, Columbia County Health System, Eastern Washington University, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), GEAR UP, Gesa Power House Theatre, Grand Canyon University, Heritage University of Tri-Cities, Lewis-Clark State College, Moreno & Castillo Construction, Pacific Lutheran University, Perry Tech, Providence St. Mary’s, SEATech Skills Center, United States Army, University of Idaho, University of Oregon, University of Washington, WaHi Counselors, Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla Elks Lodge, Walla Walla Sweets, Walla Walla University, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Patrol, Washington State University Agriculture, Human & Natural Resources, Washington State University Pullman, Washington State University Tri-Cities, Whitman College, and WorkSource.

SEATech Health Science Careers/Pre-Nursing students observe brain surgery On December 11, Health Science Careers/Pre-Nursing students started their day at 6:30 a.m. to observe brain surgery at Providence St. Mary Medical Center. Students were provided a hands-on experience with surgical instruments and microscopes of different diseases. The presentation was instructed as a college-prep class. This was a very tedious surgery that took about 5 hours. Students experienced what it would be like to work in this setting. Students were treated as health professionals and informed of what our world offers in healthcare. This was a great experience and day at Providence St. Mary Medical Center and we thank them for the opportunity. “It was a fabulous experience for SEATech Pre-Nursing, we were so lucky to have this experience,” said Sandy Thomas, Instructor, RN.

The future of medicine! Pictured: #Skillscenter students with anatomy table. Interested in a career in medicine? Check out our Medical Assisting course! MA is a fast-growing medical profession that combines people skills, organization, and compassion in a medical setting! Students practice the language and skills of doctors and other health professionals, using core knowledge that leads to healthcare, medical assisting, and medical office assisting occupations. The program uses National HOSA student leadership projects, modules, computer programs, industry standards, college curriculum, and problem-based activities in school and industry settings. Cross Credits in Science and Applied Math available. CTE Dual Credit and Industry Certification available. Our 2025-26 application is coming soon! Stay tuned :) #wearesps #wehaveskills 4w

Happy Holidays @NEWTech Prep

#Culinaryarts #caketime #creativity

#Culinaryarts

#Reminder 📣Help us spread the word! Cosmetology students✂️ need clients weekly to earn hours needed for their state license. Call 360-604-1080 to book now! #Cascadiatech #InspiringGreatness #Cosmetology

#HappyNewYears2025 Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! Cheers to another incredible year at our Washington State Skills Centers! Thank you to all our supportive staff and hardworking students ! You make WSCCA GREAT! #HappyNewYears #inspiringreatness #ourstudentsarethebest⭐️ #ourschoolsmatter

Here is yesterday's spirit day. A hair-raising good time ha ha! We will take pictures of everyone's snow gear later this afternoon. Tomorrow will be candy cane day. 🤍Fresh/Jr: white ❤️Soph/Sr: red 💚Staff: green 🦺Construction day has begun for the Jr/Sr Gingerbread House Competition. All the structures are based off of local landmarks. Groups have had to look up the history about each structure and write a paper about it too. Some of you are really taking this from an engineering/technical eye. They are using the design process like we do in most our projects. We are seeing some awesome work!! Thank you to the PTO and other parents for bringing in donations for this new tradition we hope to do year after year going forward! Stakes are high!! #svt #wearesvt #innovators #stemschool #gingerbreadhouse #spiritday2024

WST Criminal Justice class analyzed a crime scene using data collected from the scene. Our cosmo and esto students finished day 2 of their lash class using mannequins. #wstworks

Wishing all of our incredible staff, students and their families a wonderful winter break! #happyholidays #peaceandlove #familytime

"Get ready for a holiday season to remember! Our Construction Careers students have been hard at work, creating wall panels for criminal justice, festive wooden Christmas trees, cozy dog houses, and even a catio for our feline friends! AND... it's time to help our students ASB FUNDS! We're selling the Christmas trees and dog houses built by our talented students! Support local vocational training and get into the holiday spirit! Contact us to learn more about pricing and availability. We're proud of our students' skills and can't wait to share their creations with you! #ConstructionCareers #VocationalTraining #StudentSuccess #HolidayShopping #SupportLocal"

SEATech Skills Center provided students with a valuable opportunity to hone their interview skills. Advanced Manufacturing & Welding Technology, Construction Technology, and Criminal Justice students went through mock interviews, showcasing their resumes and connecting with local industry professionals. 💼🏗️👮

We definitely got into the holiday spirit this week! Our students had a blast participating in two fun holiday games that encouraged them to step out of their comfort zones and work together. These activities gave everyone a chance to let loose, be a little silly, and truly bond with their classmates. We all watched in excitement as students cheered each other on, rallied as a team, and made Work Wednesday unforgettable. We're so grateful for the amazing students we have and for the opportunity to share moments like these. -------------------------------------------------------- ¡Definitivamente entramos en el espíritu festivo esta semana! Nuestros estudiantes se divirtieron mucho participando en dos juegos festivos que los animaron a salir de su zona de confort y trabajar en equipo. Estas actividades les dieron la oportunidad de relajarse, ser un poco divertidos y realmente conectar con sus compañeros de clase. La energía fue increíble mientras los estudiantes se animaban unos a otros, se unían como equipo e hicieron que el miércoles laboral fuera inolvidable. Estamos muy agradecidos por los increíbles estudiantes que tenemos y por la oportunidad de compartir momentos como estos.

Our Mr. Randall Elf was back up to mischief last week in our classrooms. He learned how to rough it on a job site in Construction, helped Auto Body paint some holiday cheer, learned first responder skills in Firefighting, got all the animal snuggles (even from our classroom snake) in Pre-Vet Tech, hung out in the ceiling with Pre-Electrical, got in a little legal trouble in Law Enforcement, and had some shop time with our Welding class. Last week was super busy but he’s been visiting more classes this week so stay tuned. Also check out our story for some more funny clips of his time in classes last week!

West Sound Tech Medical Careers class being assessed on patient care! #wstworks #medicalcareers