Engage49 Hosts CTE Meeting

On Monday, April 21st, Engage49 hosted its third live event for the year, focusing on Career and Technical Education. A panel of CTE educators, community partners and former grads answered questions from our audience of parents, students, board members, community members and staff. 

“Enthusiastic CTE teachers from all four of the district's zones attended to share details on what students learn and get to experience in CTE programs,” said Karen Parks, Title I Family Engagement Liaison. 

“Parents were able to ask their questions and get answers not only from the teachers in those pathways but also from our industry partners and a student that completed the pathway, working in the field,” said Lauren Stuart, Community Liaison for the Sand Creek Zone. “With this new way of hosting family events, parents can get quality answers even with the specific nuances of high school scheduling. We hope to make families feel comfortable with school staff and district personnel, highlighting the great opportunities D49 provides.”

“These events are designed to create a space where parents and families drive the discussion. It's a place where they are in control and their voice is the one being heard,” Parks said. 

“I feel like parents were able to make a connection with the district that they may not have had before,” Stuart said. “We want our families to know of all of the opportunities available to their student. If we weren't able to answer a question, we knew exactly who to connect that parent with in their own respective high school.”

CTE programs represented included biomedical, automotive, computer science, game design, culinary arts, and more. Families including both parents and students asked about how to get into the programs, curiosity about the hands-on experiences, internship and work-based possibilities, support for middle school students, GPA expectations, etc. 

“One of the highlights of the evening was the perspective that panel member Alex Anderson shared as a recent graduate of SCHS who had participated in the welding program,” Parks said.  

They ended the event with a networking hour where our community could engage with our panelists and check out some student work. 

Engage49 is D49’s Family, School, Community Partnership (FSCP) Collaborative. Their mission is to serve and support D49 families directly by connecting you with valuable information and useful resources throughout the school year. Our common goal is to see D49 students flourish, and we believe creating positive relationships with parents is crucial to building strong foundations and launching students to success in our exceptional schools.