Tech Pride Articles
Thanks goes out to Times West Virginia
for their
ANNUAL CAREER FAIR RECEIVES PRAISE
By Courtney Shaver
The
morning of Thursday, January 11, was a busy one for Marion County Technical
Center teachers and students alike. Approximately 900 eighth grade
students from Marion County, as well as some eighth and ninth grade students
from Wetzel County, entered the Technical Center eager to learn about possible
future professions. The students were allowed to walk through the
school to speak with representatives of various occupations.
Animal science students had several displays for students to view, including
a gecko, a hedgehog, and a few sheep, pigs, and dogs. Also, a few
students demonstrated CPR on the “Resusci-Pup”. A guest speaker in
cosmetology taught students about hair and make-up; and in the health science
technology area, students were given massages.
The career fair received praise from one East Fairmont Junior High teacher,
Linda Washenitz, who said, “We’ve been bringing our students here for years.
... The children have an opportunity to talk to people of such a
wide variety of interests. ... I don’t think they realize how many
opportunities are out there, and it (the career fair) exposes them to a
wide variety of career choices.”
Teachers weren’t the only ones who had positive things to say about the
experience. Amanda Smith, a Mannington Middle student, stated, “It
gives us a good opportunity to learn about career choices.” Katie
idenour, also of Mannington Middle, said, “It lets us learn about other
career fields.”
Tech Center students from various areas acted as guides, and Diana Kincell’s
food management class served a luncheon for all guest speakers.
Presenters in the business/marketing cluster included Jeff Shroyer of Cracker
Barrel, restaurant management; and Marianne Moran of the Marion County
Convention and Visitors Bureau, tourism.
Engineering/technical cluster presenters were Dave Stephenson of Omni Architects,
architect; Annette Schorr of RCB National Aerospace Center, aviation/aviation
technology; Rick Toothman and Tom Board of O.C. Cluss, building trades;
Migri Prucz of WVU, engineer; Ed Aberegg of RCB Institute, machine tool
technology; Dennis O’Dell and Jack Rinehart of UMW of A, #31, mining/safety;
and James Goodwin of FSC, technology.
The presenters from the fine arts/humanities cluster were Jennifer Davis
and Toni Ricer of the Times-West Virginian, news reporting.
Presenters
in the health cluster included Raymond Alvarez of Fairmont General Hospital,
health care career opportunities (general); Dr. Frank Stevens of WVU ,
dental hygienist and dentist; Brenda Vincent and Amy Noska of Wishing Well,
dietician; Beth Ann Dlugos of WVU, doctor; Sister Marie Horvath of FSC,
health info. tech; Ron Beckner of Fairmont Clinc, lab technician; Leslie
Lovett of FSC, medical lab tech; Nick Scrivo of Fairmont Clinc, pharmacist;
Patricia Parrish of Fairmont Clinc, physician assistant; Kelly Rutherford
of Fairmont Clinc, x-ray technician; Cathy Petty and Maggie Toothman of
Fairmont General Hospital, volunteer programs/opportunities; and Nancy
Castro of Yellow Leaf Studios, massage therapist.
Human
services cluster presenters were Barbie Bland of Art & Science Institute
of Cosmetology, cosmetology; Nancy Wiggins of Marion County Board of Education,
counselor; Doris James of Marion County Sheriff’s Department, law enforcement;
Steve Mercer of the U.S. Army, military; Dorothy Oliverio of Marion County
Board of Education, teacher; and Marcy Fannacci and Beverly Williams of
Wishing Well, social worker.
Presenters
in the science and natural resources cluster included Karen Headlee, Debbie
Shriver, and Ron Swope of WVU, cooperative extension agent; Jeff Audia,
Karen Davis, Valerie Graves, John Marinaro, and Carol Muto of NASA IV &
V, NASA; Dr. Babette Simms of Farmington Animal Clinic, veterinarian; and
Anna Romano of FSC, veterinarian tech.
Teachers
presenting from the Marion County Technical Center were Kathy Kolar, accountant;
Gary Rinehart, computers; Diana Kincell, food service; Delaina Kucish,
marketing/entrepreneurship; Karen Lynch, secretary/office manager; Rusty
Jenkins, auto body/ collision repair, Bill Brand, auto mechanics; Randy
Pheasant, building construction; Walter Brown, computer repair and drafting/CAD;
Tim Gump, electrician; Andy Petracca, facilities maintenance; Byron Brown,
metals/welding; Gary Bowers, manufacturing; Lynne Pickett, medical assistant
and nursing; Lisa Wayne, nursing assistant; Eric Frederick, forestry, horticulture,
and meat cutter/ butcher; and Dr. Larry Watson, veterinarian assistant.
STUDENTS CONSTRUCT FIBER OPTICS
LAB
By Caleb Knight
Once
again the facilities maintenance class is making an impact on the community.
Working with materials purchased with money provided by a $75,000 training
grant, the class is building lab stations where ten adults at a time will
be able to participate in a fiber optics training course directed toward
possible employment in the new branch of Molecular OptoElectronics Corporation
(MOEC) in Mannington.
The facilities maintenance class, under the instruction of Andy Petracca,
has been learning to thread and join pipe. Matt Gower, a student
in the class, said that he has “learned to put in air pipes and how to
plumb”. The class has also learned how to solder, how to use a torch
to heat pipe, and how to check for power using a voltmeter.
The class was most likely given this job because the skills involved are
included in the class description along with these others: general occupational
skills, tool and equipment applications, interior repairs, plumbing, masonry,
frame structure repair, and landscape maintenance. This class is
playing a crucial role in bringing industry and jobs to our area.
ANSER COMPUTERS REPAIRED BY CLASSES
By Adam Bowers
Thanks
to a generous donation of computer equipment from ANSER (Analytic Services
Inc.) of Fairmont, Walter Brown’s computer repair class and pre-engineering
class are being kept busy. A third of the computers that were donated
have been completed with the hope that at least half of the donations will
become fully functional with the addition of a few parts. A significant
number of the remaining computers could be functional with the purchase
of RAM and/or hard drives.
Besides
working on these computers, the classes do troubleshooting, cleaning and
repair, and work on laser printers, scanners, and screen projectors for
overhead projectors. The computers will be distributed
to MCTC teachers on a “first come/first served”- needs basis.
While
explaining how his students are benefitting from this experience, Brown
said, “Computers will probably be a part of their everyday life; knowing
the basics of troubleshooting will be a skill that will benefit them in
the future.”
TECH NOTES
By Heather Yoho
HAVE YOU VISITED US ONLINE?
Now
that we have a new design for our Web page with frequent updates, don’t
forget to visit us at http://www.labs.net/SCHOOLS/MARION/MCTC.
Become aware of the many varied opportunities available for you at our
school.
BLOODDRIVE
The
health science technology department will be having their next blood drive
from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. on March 9, 2001, at the Tech Center.
They will be giving away t-shirts to those who are able to donate.
Help give the “gift of life” to those who need it.
METALSHINGLESSEMINAR
A seminar on “Metal
Shingles and Roofing” was given to building construction, electrical technology,
and facilities maintenance students during a daytime session and to contractors
and the general public during an evening session. Melissa D’Emidio
and Paul Mayhew of Wheeling Corrugating Company were the speakers.
Participants used a “mock-up” display to practice putting down metal shingles.
The seminar was arranged by instructor John Pheasant and sponsored by the
Marion County Technical Center in partnership with the Mannington Home
Center.
WV MATH
LEAGUE
The highest scorers on the WV Math League tests
for December were James Sickles, Bill Beavan, Lucas Carpenter, Danny Ford,
Teresa Sigley, James Cienawski, Shannon Currey, Tiffany Hammond, Jeremy
Harley, Jessica Hibbs, Sara Jones, T.J. Knight, Ryan Manley, Katie Michael,
Richie Moore, Triston Payton, Jina Ramage, Ronnie Riley, and Daniel Suplita.
TECHPRIDENEWSPAPERCLUB
Times-West Virginian
photographer, Tammy Shriver, used slides of pictures in her portfolio to
teach members of the Tech Pride Newspaper Club how to take good pictures
for their newspaper page. She explained the importance of getting
as many of the important elements of the story as possible in the photograph.
She also encouraged the members to be creative.