SCRTC Awards 2016-2017 Student of the Year
In a ceremony at Lewiston Regional Technical Center on April 29, students from Maine’s Career and Technical Education schools were recognized for outstanding contributions in the field of career and technical education.
St. Croix Regional Technical Center’s student of the year recipient, Riley Sluzenski, was presented this award by Dr. Donald Cannan, Executive Director of the Maine Association of Career and Technical Education (MACTE). Selection of student of the year is based on the student’s career goals, personal interview and portfolio, community service, attendance, and promotion of SCRTC and career and technical education.
Riley has been an active student of SCRTC. She is the president of her chapter of SkillsUSA and has served as a state SkillsUSA officer for two years. She competed in Related Technical Math for three years, earning a bronze and two silver medals. She is also a member of NTHS. She also wrote an essay about SkillsUSA and CTE that was published by Maine Public on their Raise Your Voice campaign.
Riley has been enrolled in SCRTC’s Computer Electronics/ Business Management for two years. She plans on attending Boston College this fall, where she will be studying Accounting. Riley is the daughter of Anne and Stanley Sluzenski of Charlotte.
In a ceremony at Lewiston Regional Technical Center on April 29, students from Maine’s Career and Technical Education schools were recognized for outstanding contributions in the field of career and technical education.
St. Croix Regional Technical Center’s student of the year recipient, Riley Sluzenski, was presented this award by Dr. Donald Cannan, Executive Director of the Maine Association of Career and Technical Education (MACTE). Selection of student of the year is based on the student’s career goals, personal interview and portfolio, community service, attendance, and promotion of SCRTC and career and technical education.
Riley has been an active student of SCRTC. She is the president of her chapter of SkillsUSA and has served as a state SkillsUSA officer for two years. She competed in Related Technical Math for three years, earning a bronze and two silver medals. She is also a member of NTHS. She also wrote an essay about SkillsUSA and CTE that was published by Maine Public on their Raise Your Voice campaign.
Riley has been enrolled in SCRTC’s Computer Electronics/ Business Management for two years. She plans on attending Boston College this fall, where she will be studying Accounting. Riley is the daughter of Anne and Stanley Sluzenski of Charlotte.
Welding Students Receive American Welding Society (AWS) Certifications
Recently 6 students from the St. Croix Regional Technical Center in Calais traveled to Bangor to take a welding exam. These high school students are from all three of the surrounding schools the technical center serves, Calais, Eastport and Baileyville. All 6 students passed a welder certification test. Cost of the exams are covered through Perkins funding, a federal act that supports career and technical education in all 50 states. The national credentials the students earn in the Technical Center programs teach students entry level job skills as well as preparing them for entrance into college level programs.
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I From left to right: Riley Pratt ( Woodland High School), Dustin Bowen (Shead High School), Alex Roderick (Woodland High School), Dylan Newell and Josh Stewart (Calais High School). Missing from the photo is Zack Goodwin (Woodland High School).
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KVCC's Mobile Solar Lab Visits SCRTC
Because KVCC is in central Maine and serves the northeast region, our travels with the mobile solar lab typically start "southbound on the turnpike" - by hopping on I-95 and heading south. In November, however, the KVCC solar road show headed east - as far east as we could go without being stopped by customs officials - to the St. Croix Regional Technical Center (SCRTC) in Calais, Maine. SCRTC gets its name from the St. Croix River, which you can see from campus as it flows by, dutifully forming the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, before it flows into the Bay of Fundy and then the Atlantic Ocean. This region is part of eastern Maine often called "Downeast" and known for remoteness, rugged coastline, blueberry barrens, fishing communities, and a tenacious people committed to maintaining strong communities despite the economic hardships of recent decades.
Students who attend SCRTC come from Calais High School (with which it shares a campus), and Eastport and Woodland High Schools. SCRTC Building Trades Instructor Stan Sluzenski has worked with the Solar Instructor Training Network at KVCC for the past two years, gaining skills in solar and ideas for how to incorporate it in his classes. KVCC's visit in November was a chance for Stan and Mike Paradis (KVCC Solar Instructor) to work together, team-teaching students and using solar equipment provided by KVCC's mobile solar lab. Stan and his Building Trades students - who range from sophomores to seniors - built their own mini-mock roof to use for solar and other roofing projects in the classroom. When the KVCC mobile solar lab arrived, it was time for Mike and Stan to give the students lessons in the basics of solar PV, and experience mounting a solar PV system on their mini-mock roof. Many of the students were eager to know more about the electrical aspects of solar as well as the mechanical "on the roof" installation. Levi Staples, a sophomore, said he found solar PV interesting because of its simplicity and efficiency. "This is a fun skill that will help me later in life - and a skill I can boast about" he said after the solar installation experience.
As a bonus, a building construction technology class from Washington County Community College (WCCC), which shares a driveway with SCRTC, was able to attend a solar class in the afternoon with Stan and Mike. Close access to the community college is a boon for SCRTC, and Stan regularly collaborates with Richard Ramsey, Building Construction Instructor at WCCC. Mr. Sluzenski, who won the "2014 CTE Teacher of the Year" award from the organization Maine Career and Technical Education, is always striving to keep his program current. In the coming year, he plans on acquiring solar training equipment to make solar lessons a regular feature of his Building Trades program.
Quote from Stan Sluzenski - "Solar PV is a wonderful addition to my Building Trades program. The new content is definitely cutting edge. It is helping me to stay current with the industry and best of all, my students are excited about the new skills they are learning.
Students who attend SCRTC come from Calais High School (with which it shares a campus), and Eastport and Woodland High Schools. SCRTC Building Trades Instructor Stan Sluzenski has worked with the Solar Instructor Training Network at KVCC for the past two years, gaining skills in solar and ideas for how to incorporate it in his classes. KVCC's visit in November was a chance for Stan and Mike Paradis (KVCC Solar Instructor) to work together, team-teaching students and using solar equipment provided by KVCC's mobile solar lab. Stan and his Building Trades students - who range from sophomores to seniors - built their own mini-mock roof to use for solar and other roofing projects in the classroom. When the KVCC mobile solar lab arrived, it was time for Mike and Stan to give the students lessons in the basics of solar PV, and experience mounting a solar PV system on their mini-mock roof. Many of the students were eager to know more about the electrical aspects of solar as well as the mechanical "on the roof" installation. Levi Staples, a sophomore, said he found solar PV interesting because of its simplicity and efficiency. "This is a fun skill that will help me later in life - and a skill I can boast about" he said after the solar installation experience.
As a bonus, a building construction technology class from Washington County Community College (WCCC), which shares a driveway with SCRTC, was able to attend a solar class in the afternoon with Stan and Mike. Close access to the community college is a boon for SCRTC, and Stan regularly collaborates with Richard Ramsey, Building Construction Instructor at WCCC. Mr. Sluzenski, who won the "2014 CTE Teacher of the Year" award from the organization Maine Career and Technical Education, is always striving to keep his program current. In the coming year, he plans on acquiring solar training equipment to make solar lessons a regular feature of his Building Trades program.
Quote from Stan Sluzenski - "Solar PV is a wonderful addition to my Building Trades program. The new content is definitely cutting edge. It is helping me to stay current with the industry and best of all, my students are excited about the new skills they are learning.
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SCRTC Donates Computers to South Africa
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Vincent Day Jr., a student of Jon Bragdon’s Computer Electronics class, has resurrected six laptop computers that will now be sent to South Africa. Mr. Bragdon’s class was able to send a number of laptops to Africa last spring where they are desperately needed, and they are overjoyed to have them.
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Teacher of the Year Award
Congratulations to SCRTC's Building Trades instructor, Stan Sluzenski, for receiving the award of Maine Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year 2014. This award was presented to Stan at the annual CTE Conference in Lewiston, ME. |
National SkillsUSA Medal Awarded
Quinn Sluzenski, Computer Electronics student at SCRTC, competed in the SkillsUSA National Competitions in Kansas City in June of 2014. After successfully advancing to the second round in the Prepared Speech competition, Quinn was awarded the BRONZE medal!! SCRTC would like to congratulate Quinn on her outstanding accomplishment. We are very proud of her! |
Hope for Troops
Members of SCRTC's 2013 SkillsUSA organization participated in a community service project called "Hope for Troops". Shoe boxes were filled with various items to be shipped overseas. A local senior citizen group that attends noon meals catered by our Culinary Arts students also helped to collect items for the boxes. This was very much appreciated. The group, along with SkillsUSA members, was featured in an article in the Calais Advertiser.
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Building Trades Students Build New Health Center
SCRTC's Building Trades instructor, Stan Sluzenski, and his students have completed construction of the new Calais High School Blue Devil Health Center. A federal grant supplied the funding for this major project. SCRTC students provided much of the labor for the construction, with Washington County Community College students contributing in the area of groundwork, plumbing, heating, and electrical work. This was a great live work opportunity for the Building Trades program. An open house celebration for the new 1000-square foot health center took place on November 14, 2013.
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Totally Trades Workshop and Video
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On October 26, 2012, a Totally Trades Workshop was held at Washington County Community College. This event is organized by Women, Work, and Community (WCC) to encourage female students to consider careers in fields traditionally dominated by men. Each year more than 150 girls have the opportunity to explore career in trades and technology, such as highway and building construction, electrical and plumbing technology, truck driving, bridge building, and welding. This year, a recruitment video was produced for the event by computer program students Kelli Bailey and Quinn Sluzenski. The video featured Makayla Cobb, a senior from Woodland High School, who currently takes truck driving. She also took welding in her junior year. The video was a big hit, and WCC asked to have a copy to use as the keynote address for the remainder of their workshops throughout the state this year.
To view the video, go to our HOME page and scroll down. To read the Bangor Daily News article on this event, click below:
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Local Business Donates Vehicle
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On October 27, 2010, SCRTC's Automotive Instructor Don Barnes received the title to a 2005 Buick Century that was donated by the Down East Credit Union. This is an important contribution to our program as we have relied on students and teachers to bring in their vehicles for live work projects. The car provides the necessary equipment to be used for electronics, anti-lock brakes, and diagnostic training. It will help provide the necessary training to complete student competencies, and will also help to get the program ASE certified. Pictures with Mr. Barnes are Becky Perkins, Manager of the Calais office of Down East Credit Union, and Sally Coleman, Manager of the Woodland office. Linda Howe, Vice President of Marketing, contacted Bob Moholland, Director of SCRTC, to see if the Automotive program would be interest in obtaining the vehicle for training purposes. "It is great to know members of the buisness community can be involved with helping students in this time of school budget cutting and economic downturn, " state Mr. Moholland. |
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Calais Waterfront Walkway Project
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An edition of the Calais Advertiser featured an article on the Calais Riverfront Walkway and the volunteers that have developed and maintained the walkway since its inception in 1990. The historic railroad, now walking trail, was used by Col. Benjamin Church during the French and Native American wars, and it was an important part of the waterfront commerce.
The current volunteers were getting along in age and were asking for help in improving and maintaining the walkway. That's when students from SCRTC became involved. The Truck Driving, Welding, and Building Trades students decided to get involved as part of their community service requirement. Last fall the students spent several days putting in 70 railroad ties, leveling them, and adding the gravel. On Oct. 19, 2010, the Early Childhood Education class, along with the Building Trades class, returned to the waterfront to add a final layer of gravel to that section of trail. 
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Early Childhood Education and Learning Center Open House
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On October 28, 2009, SCRTC held an open house to recognize and thank all those who helped us achieve our goal of constructing a state of the art Early Childhood Education Learning Center.
The major monetary contributions of the project were: The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation ($ 50,000), the Libra Foundation ($ 25,000) and The Maine Community Foundation ($ 7,500). Due to the generosity of those charitable organizations, along with the help and support of those listed below, we were able to make this vision into a reality:
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