CTE Month: Programs provide options, career opportunities for students

Career and technical education (CTE) is booming in South Dakota. At the state level, CTE is a project spearheaded by the Department of Education’s (DOE) Division of College, Career, and Student Success (DCCSS).

In recognition of CTE Month, TeachSD is featuring some outstanding CTE programs in schools throughout the state.

Central High School, Aberdeen

The A-TEC Academy at Central High School in Aberdeen has 10 CTE programs that support all 16 career clusters. In 2015, the school opened a new building adjacent to the high school that is dedicated to CTE classes. Scott Pudwill, the A-TEC Academy director, guides the CTE program and has seen an increased interest in the classes the school offers.

Of the 10 programs offered, the agriculture and automotive programs are most popular with students. “For both ag and auto classes, teachers are paid to take an overload; those teachers for most of the year are teaching four blocks all day,” said Pudwill.

The school’s program has drawn in students from other schools as well. “We have a group of out-of-town students from Frederick that come each year; they are bussed in for the last block of the day to take advantage of the classes.” The A-TEC Academy also supports students from nearby private schools as well as home school students.

Pudwill attributes the program’s success to grants and a supportive administration. “We’ve been very fortunate that our administration, our superintendent, and school board really support CTE,” said Pudwill. “We’ve done an expansion recently thanks to grants from ESSR funds. We expanded areas, added a greenhouse, and expanded our ag area. As our programs grow, student interest in CTE grows along with it.”

Hamlin Education Center

Until very recently, when students at Hamlin High School wanted to take part in CTE courses, they had to take courses at Northeast Technical High School in Watertown. After the school put in a $10.2 million addition, Hamlin students now have access to a wide variety of courses on their own campus: aviation, web design, cyber security, health science, fashion design, welding, culinary courses, building trades, and more.

Hamlin Middle and High School Principal Jeff Sheehan says Hamlin’s CTE program is designed to help students make informed choices about careers that might fit their interests and skills. “Our teachers are teaching their classes in a way that will let the kids be able to go out in the community to get a job. Here, they’re going to get training and exposure to different career fields. Some kids might not realize until they’re in the class that this is what they want to do as a career.”

Sheehan estimates that about 60-70 percent of high school students take CTE courses, with welding being the most popular choice. “The kids love welding. Culinary arts is big, and the building trades and woodworking have grown too. They get to see the teacher and get to know them, and when they have a connection with that teacher, that draws them more into it.”

Spearfish High School

Spearfish High School’s CTE Center opened in the fall of 2024. The school’s 50,000-square-foot dedicated building houses family and consumer sciences, business, computer, woodworking, welding, health science, automotive, and building trades.

Superintendent Kirk Easton teaches building trades, a popular class that teaches students to build houses. Automotive and health science courses are popular, too.

Easton has found that the programs they offer appeal to more than just students: “In three of our programs, we have retirees who come in and volunteer their time to work with kids. It’s a great way to prepare kids for the job. We have a retired contractor, and he gets as much out of it as the kids do.” The school’s automotive and welding and fabrication classes have retired volunteers who help as well.

“One of the men who works in welding and fabrication, when I introduced myself to him and thanked him for volunteering, he said, ‘your kids are the best kids – I love this.’ They get as much out of it as the kids do,” said Easton.

“I’ve never been a part of something that has been so accepted by our community. Parents are excited, kids are excited. We have a number of businesses that want to be partners,” said Easton. “We had an HVAC company come in and donate materials and expertise. Plumbers and electricians have donated fixtures and expertise. I see a community member’s face in that building every day.”