Career Tech News
Central Lake High School students practice career prep skills through mock interviews with regional professionals
CENTRAL LAKE - Maintain eye contact. Smile and present a positive attitude. Ask questions. Prepare ahead of time. These and many other interview skills were shared with Central Lake High School juniors and seniors on Feb. 25 as part of a Char-Em Intermediate...
‘Get your private pilot’s license before college’
Garin Janicki, a student in the first year of the Aviation Science & Technology program in 2016-17, shares his path to success and advice with future aviators As one of the first students to take the Aviation Science & Technology program in the 2016-17...
Local aviation students still soaring after their dreams
Where are they now? Catching up with a few grads of the Aviation Science & Technology program at Pellston Regional Airport When Anna VarnHagen was approaching her senior year of high school in Petoskey, she was considering options for her future. One of them...
Career Tech to Careers Follow-up: Jared Kortman, Wentworth Builders of Harbor Springs
In September 2020, Char-Em ISD first met up with Jared Kortman and his Wentworth Builders’ supervisors and colleagues at the building site of a sprawling, beautiful home going up on the shores of Walloon Lake. Kortman had just graduated from Petoskey High School,...
Career Tech to Careers: Hunter Cesaro and Braedynn Kraemer, 2024 East Jordan High School graduates, at Jim Riehl Ford
Two East Jordan High School classmates and 2024 graduates now have another life milestone in common: They are now colleagues, too. Hunter Cesaro and Braedynn Kraemer both entered the workforce directly after graduation and chose the same employer: Jim Riehl’s...
Career Tech to Careers: Parker MacDonald, 2024 Petoskey High School graduate, at Corble Builders
On a recent summer afternoon, Parker MacDonald and his coworkers at Corble Builders carried 59 sheets of drywall to a job site on Walloon Lake, where no delivery trucks were allowed due to the property’s sensitive setting. MacDonald, 18, appeared no worse for wear...
Local youth employment program receives statewide honors
The Northwest Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program was recently honored by Youth Solutions, a statewide youth-serving organization that provides Michigan’s youth with career-focused education. In total, the local program received thirteen awards, both for...
Career Tech to Careers signing event: Caleb Powell, Concord Academy Petoskey graduate, at S&S Welding
Caleb Powell has developed quite the reputation for himself during his first few months on the job at S&S Welding in Petoskey. “He’s never been late, not one time,” said S&S owner Shawn Wonnacott. With a changing labor force and an extremely high demand for...
Career Tech triple crown: 2024 Pellston grad Xavier Schmalzried celebrated at Career Tech to Careers signing event with Wentworth Builders
Xavier Schmalzried is likely one of a small number of students who have the opportunity to put skills from three high school career tech courses all to work right after graduation. Schmalzried, 17, is a 2024 graduate of Pellston High School who took construction,...
Career Tech to Careers: Wyatt Troyer, 2024 Petoskey grad, at Dave Kring Chevrolet
When Wyatt Troyer moved his tassel from right to left on graduation day June 2, 2024, at Petoskey High School, he already had a full-time, benefits-provided job waiting for him: Working as a technician at the oil change service center at Dave Kring Chevrolet in...
Petoskey High School grad Antonio Sherwood cooking up a bright future at Palette Bistro
CAREER TECH TO CAREERS SIGNING EVENT PETOSKEY - Antonio Sherwood was a student who put the “art” in “culinary arts.” “Antonio was one of those students who just gets it. He has a broad knowledge of cooking and a strong natural ability to understand what is supposed...
Work-Based Learning, aka ‘Co-op:’ Students earn income, high school credits, and can pursue their dreams as they work toward graduation
One local senior has been working on welding a pontoon boat in Cheboygan. Another shadowed at the 33rd Circuit Court, interested in pursuing a law career while working on clerical and court-related tasks. A third senior, interested in a career in accounting, has...
Local Aviation program student Forrest Neff awarded EAA flight training scholarship
PELLSTON - Forrest Neff, a senior in the Aviation Science and Technology program held at Pellston Regional Airport, has been awarded an $11,000 flight training scholarship from local Chapter 1087 of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Neff, of Harbor Springs, is...
Creating culinary careers in a familiar classroom
Career and College Readiness SPOTLIGHT: Amanda Hartson Vicente returns to Petoskey High School Culinary Arts program, this time as an instructor A familiar face to Petoskey High School returned earlier this year as a key ingredient in helping students achieve...
Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates regional program receives state ‘Excellence in Practice’ Award
Char-Em ISD, Northwest Ed, Wexford-Missaukee ISD, Networks Northwest, partner to help students succeed in and after high school A Northwest Michigan regional program in local schools that prioritizes career and college readiness activities with middle and high...
Aviation Science & Technology program receives donations to support student flight training
ALANSON - The Aviation Science and Technology program, a Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education offering hosted by Alanson Public Schools, is providing more students the chance to earn their pilots’ licenses in high school, thanks to a number of recent...
Career Tech to Careers: Irish Boat Shop with East Jordan grad Jason Dean
Jason Dean has some advice for high school students thinking about what’s next after graduation - keep an open mind about possible career paths. “I wasn’t thinking about going into a career of working on boats, but it sounded like fun and I gave it a shot, and I...
Char-Em ISD receives grant for Street STEM elementary technology from Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
More young students in Char-Em ISD schools will have access to the latest technology in science, math, technology and engineering - aka STEM - thanks to a grant from the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. The foundation awarded $7,500 toward the...
Career Tech to Careers: Dave Kring Chevrolet’s Quick Lube with Petoskey grad Landon Maltese
At a young age, Landon Maltese had an inkling he’d like to make a career out of working on vehicles. “My stepdad and I worked a lot on cars in my younger years. He had his own shop with a lift, so at a young age I was helping to work on his projects. At first I was...
Career Tech to Careers: Fletch’s Service Center with Petoskey grad Zane Myers
“If we could get more Zanes, that would be great.” The day after he graduated from Petoskey High School in June 2023, Zane Myers took an important first step into the real world by joining the Young Professionals Program, which paired young adults with local...
Career Tech to Careers: S&S Welding in Petoskey, with Caleb Cranick and Adam Jones
Two recent local high school graduates are fabricating their own bright futures behind the welding torch, working full-time positions at S&S Welding in Petoskey. Caleb Cranick, 19, a 2021 Pellston High School graduate, and Adam Jones,18, a 2023 Petoskey High...
Career Tech to Careers: Luke Kurburski at Birchwood Farms Golf and Country Club
If you’ve eaten a meal recently at Birchwood Farms Golf and Country Club in Harbor Springs, there’s a good chance that many of the finer details that make a meal delicious and memorable were prepped at the hands of Luke Kurburski. As the “garmo,” or pantry chef,...
Char-Em ISD Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program, staff receive state and national recognition for helping high school students prep for career and college
Behind the scenes at several local high schools, specialists work to help equip students with the skills they need to overcome barriers and find success in education, employment, and as community members. Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) specialists have been in...
Chef Kaidence! Petoskey High School senior headed to culinary school to pursue cooking passion
Kaidence McNamara discovered a culinary community at Petoskey High School. The 18-year-old, soon-to-be graduate has dug deep into the Culinary Arts program and found the ingredients to propel her toward a future in professional cooking. “It’s so great to be in this...
Summer camp registration opens Monday, April 15, at 9 a.m.!
Online registration for Char-Em ISD's five summer camps opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 15, 2024, at this link. This year's camps include options for students in grades kindergarten through 11th, including a new K-2 STEM class during Career Academy for Kids!...
CTE in the Spotlight: Derek Burnett and Van Dam Custom Boats
In the spring of 2017, Derek Burnett was preparing to graduate from Petoskey High School and wasn’t entirely sure about his future plans. He had always enjoyed woodworking and working with his hands, and had success in the building trades program at the high school...
Char-Em receives 2023 Innovative Leader Award for Char-Em Street STEM!
Lansing (MI), March 16, 2023 – The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) has named the recipients of its 2023 MACUL Annual Awards, as Michigan Educators from around the state earned the following honors: Innovative Leader Award, Innovative...
Soar! Alanson school’s aviation program receives grant to fund student pilot licenses
ALANSON - The Aviation Science & Technology program hosted by Alanson Public Schools, and housed at Pellston Regional Airport, recently received a generous grant to help pay for private pilot training for those students interested in earning their private pilot...
Plan, build, fly! Harbor Springs senior designs, prints his own drone
As far as hobbies go, Jeff Ramsay, a Harbor Springs High School senior, has one of the more unique ones: He enjoys working with and collecting 3D printers. For those not aware, 3D printers use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create three-dimensional objects...
Local high school aviation program helping to tackle the nationwide aviation industry shortage
PELLSTON - Airline delays and cancellations have become increasingly common recently as a nationwide and global pilot shortage continues to strain the airline industry. It’s projected that 14,500 pilots will be needed every year through 2030, along with tens of...
Harbor Springs freshman’s short horror film, Derailed, wins Compass College Film Festival award
Harbor Springs High School may be one of the most idyllic school settings in the state, but it has some scary stories lurking inside… in the form of a budding young filmmaker. Freshman Emma Spencer recently won a Best Cinematography award for her horror film short,...
Jim Rummer awarded Michigan’s 2023 Career Tech Education Administrator of the Year
When Jim Rummer began his career as Director of Career and Technical Education for Char-Em ISD 15 years ago, there were a handful of vocational education programs spread around the ISD’s 11 public school districts. CTE was just taking off and becoming recognized as...
Char-Em receives 2023 Excellence in Practice Award from state career tech office for Street STEM initiative
Char-Em Street STEM has been on a roll into local K-8 classrooms this school year, and now it has rolled into top honors at the state level with an Excellence in Practice award from the Michigan Office of Career and Technical Education. This new Char-Em ISD...
Rambler Sports Network’s alumni making a splash out in the real world!
Every Saturday during college football season, Randy Calcaterra can usually count on receiving at least a few texts from former students, reaching out from some pretty incredible vantage points. Many of them are helping to run productions of college football games...
Students take drones to the skies through Char-Em Street STEM
Alanson middle school 6th, 7th, and 8th graders had the opportunity earlier this week to try their hands at flying drones, during a visit from Char-Em Street STEM’s mobile STEM initiative. Using DJI Mini 2 drones, instructor Brandon Beltz taught the students how to...
Petoskey’s Tietjen twins finding career success as in-demand welders
When Petoskey twin brothers Paul and Mike Tietjen enrolled in the welding class offered at Pellston High School several years ago, they knew it could open the door to a well-paying career in the skilled trades. They both knew they weren’t interested in attending...
Fletch’s GMC Buick Audi with Thomas Simpson and Keegan Speer
Two long-time friends and 2022 East Jordan High School graduates recently began employment at Fletch’s GMC Buick Audi in Petoskey, working in the certified service center as technicians. Thomas Simpson and Keegan Speer both credit the skills they learned during...
Char-Em ISD launches new initiative recognizing students entering the workforce post-graduation
BOYNE CITY – A new initiative, Career Tech to Careers, is celebrating the decision of high school graduates to enter the workforce after earning their diploma – specifically those students whose high school careers included Career and Technical Education classes....
U.S. Marine, general aviation pilot introduced as new instructor for aviation career tech program
ALANSON – Former Marine helicopter and current general aviation pilot Duane Enos will be the new instructor of the Aviation Science and Technology course, housed at Alanson Public Schools with instruction at Pellston Regional Airport, beginning in the fall for the...
Industrial Magnetics Inc. with Caleb Boyer
On Dec. 6, 2021, Char-Em ISD staff held a Career Tech to Careers signing event with Caleb Boyer, a 2021 graduate of East Jordan High School, at Industrial Magnetics, Inc. (IMI) in Boyne City. Boyer joined the staff on Oct. 27, 21, as a welder working between 40-55...