Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter Serving the students of Colonial Beach, Essex, Lancaster, Northumberland, Rappahannock,

and Washington and Lee High Schools since 1978.

The NNTC Advisory Council dinner held on October 22nd was a great success as over 90 employees, teachers, and students attended the event. Elizabeth Russell, former director of Career and Technical Education for the Department of

Education, was the guest speaker for the event.

NNTC Advisory Council dinner was a great success!

Delegate Ransone toured NNTC Delegate Mrs. Margaret Ransone visited the Northern Neck Technical Center on September 19, 2013 to meet with students and the administration on various CTE topics. The meeting was attended by Delegate Margaret Ransone, Dr. Rebecca Lowry, Superintendent of Westmoreland County, Dr. Greg Smith, Superintendent of Richmond County, Mrs. Pat Pugh, Richmond County Board Member, Bernard Davis, Principal of NNTC, and Todd Davis, Assistant Principal at NNTC.

Contents

Advisory Dinner News 1

Delegate Ransone News 1

Principal News 1

Board Meetings 1

Auto Body 2

Automotive Servicing 2

Carpentry 2

Cosmetology 2

Computer Systems 3

Culinary Arts 3

Electricity 3

Engineering 3

Horticulture 4

Landscaping 4

Nurse Aide 4

GED Information 4

First Quarter Awards 5

Guidance Corner 6

Principal: Bernard S. “Trey” Davis III

Assistant Principal: Todd Davis

Winter Newsletter – Date: January.-March 2014

Board Meetings

January 28

February 25

March 25

April 29

May 27

It has been a very busy fall at the NNTC. You will find this quarterly newsletter filled with information about field trips, state fair competitions, along with information from the various programs.

As we enter the second half of the school year I want to remind the students to stay focused on their classwork and their industry certifications. We are looking forward to the time of the year where we focus on employment skills, resume writing, and mock interviews.

We have made many school improvement strides this fall pertaining to our school goals. We placed brochure racks and school pictures in all of the home schools, we erected a new greenhouse, and we have overhauled our website.

Take a look at the new website at www.northernnecktech.org.

Principal News – Bernard Davis From the Desk of Mr. Davis

Delegate Ransone shown here with the Culinary Arts students

Page 2 of 6 Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter

NNTC Mission Statement

The mission of the Northern Neck Technical Center is to contribute to

the economic, educational, and community development of the

Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula by providing quality career and

technical education, adult literacy education, customized business,

and industry workforce training to

the citizens of the region.

Auto Body students take

first, second and third place!

Pictured from left to right: Moses Ovideo, Tyler Bowen, Carlos Cota, De’Andre Wood,

Dylan Burch, and Brandon

Harman

Auto Body News – Instructor Matt Ingram On October 2nd, students from the Collision Repair Program at the Northern Neck Technical Center

competed in the Auto Body Competition at the State Fair of Virginia. This was a two-part team

competition. The first part consisted of a custom painted panel and a base coat-clear coat panel. The

second part was the Collision Repair part of the competition, which entailed metal straightening a panel

and doing the correct body work procedure on the panel. The Northern Neck Tech Center took 1st, 2nd,

& 3rd place overall. Finishing in 1st place was the team of De’Andre Wood and Carlos Cota. Second

place went to the team of Dylan Burch and Brandon Harman. Third place went to the team of Tyler

Bowen and Moses Ovideo. The students were able to achieve this by the hard work and dedication and

perseverance by coming in on weekends and staying late to prepare for this event.

On November 7th and December 12th, students from the Collision Repair Program at the Northern

Neck Technical Center attended Paint Certification Training and EPA Certification Training at Refinish

Solutions in Stafford, Virginia. The students attended a class taught by Mark Ridgle, who is one of the

nation’s top instructors for the PPG Paint Company. During this training, students were in class with

real-world technicians and professionals from the Collision Repair Industry. This was an all-day, eight-

hour class that the students attended, where they got to learn and take part in problem solving in the

Collision Repair Industry. These are Industry-Recognized Certifications, which will enable students to

go out and have a career in the Collision Repair Industry.

Automotive Servicing News – Instructor Steve Tatarka

It has been a busy quarter for Auto Tech. All students, in both classes, passed their SP/2, Safety and

Pollution Prevention certifications. The entire Auto I class, and some Auto II students completed

certification training in motor oil offered by Valvoline. In addition, the Auto Tech I class completed

Introduction to Automotive Technology training. This includes training in tools, fire safety and

prevention, precision measuring, completing repair orders, and other important requirements for auto

technicians.

Auto Tech II students have been working mostly in Suspension and Steering training. A large portion

of this time has been spent working on electronic curriculum in preparation for their December 18

certification testing through ASE. In the shop they have worked on computerized alignments, shock

absorbers and struts, to include disassembly and reassembly, as well as keeping the school’s vehicle

fleet maintenance up-to-date.

Carpentry News – Instructor Michael Sisson

We are currently on track for the Carpentry 1 students to obtain the Core Curriculum credential by the

end of the school year and therefore have the opportunity to obtain the Level 1 Carpentry credential

upon completion of their 2nd year of Carpentry. The Core Curriculum is the pre-requisite for Level 1

Carpentry and covers a wide range of basic skills and knowledge for different areas in the construction

trades. In addition to knowledge-based assessments, many of the modules have a performance test or

skills-based assessment. We have completed 3 modules including; Introduction to Hand Tools,

Orientation to the Trade and Building Materials, Fasteners and Adhesives. We are currently working

through the Introduction to Construction Math module.

In addition to the required instructional time via the textbooks, lectures and instructional videos the

students have been busy mastering their skills in the shop building such projects as picnic tables, dog

houses, cornhole tables, outdoor benches and a variety of repair projects. This year we began building

storage sheds with an 8’ X 10’ shed under construction in the shop now which we plan to sell. We also

plan on building a 12’ X 16’ portable shed that will be available for sale in the early Spring. My

Carpentry students and I are also excited about the possibility of building a couple of picnic shelters at

the Warsaw Town Park property.

Cosmetology News – Instructors Valerie Shelton, Nettie Nash

Glamour, Fashion & Flair! Congratulations to Salenia Purce, Erin Carroll and Greisy Antunez, who

competed in the VA State Fair Total Fashion Competition on September 30, 2014, with great success,

they placed 2nd overall for displaying outstanding quality, teamwork and skills.

Cosmetology 1 will be hosting an in-house competition among the students in Jan, 2014. Our

completion will consist of hairstyling, haircutting, and fantasy. The students that place 1st & 2nd will be

participating in the Skills USA District Competition.

Our Cosmetology department is now open to the community for hair salon services!!!

Dwandre Parker, a Washington and Lee

student, built these steps in his carpentry class for a

handicap youth so she can

climb into her bed.

Devin Pitts placed first in the automotive servicing competition for post graduates. Bradly Ayers placed seventh in the school division. The competition was held at the Northern Virginia Community College. Both students are from Essex High School. The rest of the district SkillsUSA competitions will be held in March while the state

competition will be held in early April.

Page 3 of 6

Computer Systems News – Instructor Justin Hart Students in Computer Information Systems began their quest of knowledge in various ways this first

quarter. Theory and workings “under the hood” are the focus of study as we work towards the

progression of a PC Technician. They learned how hardware and software work together by utilizing

various approaches and collaboration. Students engage in learning by performing “Inside/Outside”

circles, “Make an Appointment Meetings”, “Pair Share”, and various other activities. These reinforce

the lesson taught by giving the learner something to interact with directly and not just a “talking head”

lecture.

Customer service is stressed and reinforced by our students taking on real-world PC (personal

computer) problems. They are expected to not only to produce a solution, but to also treat the customer

in a way that they would expect to be treated. This approach garners highly successful technicians that

appear to be on a fast track to success. This hands-on approach is the best to prepare our students for

employment.

Culinary Arts News – Instructor David Blair We hosted a dinner on October 22, 2013 serving the advisory board members from each program at

NNTC. There were about 65 people in attendance, and several students were asked to speak about their

program. Taylor McMahan spoke on behalf of our program and did a terrific job. The Culinary class

prepared and served the entire meal.

Every Thursday our program opens The Neck’s Grille where we offer an assortment of subs and

sandwiches as well as french fries and our original onion rings. The money generated from Neck’s

Grille is used to purchase supplies for our lab, and has been very well supported by our school.

We are currently preparing for a very busy competition season, starting with SkillsUSA in February

and ProStart in March. We have high hopes for all our competitors.

Electricity News – Instructor Westley Woolard

Students have explored the basic fundamentals of electricity, power tools and hand tools. All juniors

have completed a 10 hour online OSHA course, which is a nationally recognized safety certification.

Students have also started basic wiring installations in the shop with lights and receptacles. The

greenhouse project has gotten underway, and we are also working in conjunction with the local food

bank to provide electrical services for new refrigeration equipment.

Engineering News – Instructor Scott Syster

Making precision measurements and having the ability to use technical equipment is required for

students of the Introduction to Engineering class at the Northern Neck Technical Center.

Students here are using a set of dial calipers to make various measurements of parts of the Automoblox

vehicle. Students will then record measurements of various parts of the vehicle so in later activities they

will a design a 3D model of the car using Autodesk Inventor 3D drawing program.

During the initial phases of the design process, defining the problem and generating concepts

brainstorming is often accompanied by concept modeling. Design ideas and alternatives are often

modeled graphically. If the design solution involves a physical object, designers typically use sketching

and drawing to represent design ideas. If the problem solution involves the design of systems or

processes, drawings and 3D images may be employed to represent the proposed designs

Today, computers and software applications are tools often used in the solution of engineering

problems. Computer modeling is frequently used to represent, analyze, document, and assess a design

idea. Three-dimensional computer modeling of products allows designers to virtually create, manipulate,

and test products and system prior to building and testing a physical model. A physical model is often

desirable because it allows hands-on manipulation and testing of a product or system in its intended

operating environment.

Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter

Our Governor’s STEM Academy flag and

certificate are here!

Lancaster High School Engineering students are

using dial calipers to check sizes of various parts of a

project.

Check out the new NNTC website. It’s filled with lots

of new links. www.northernnecktech.org

You can obtain program

brochures, read about the NNTC news, and get

curriculum information.

GED Information The ISAEP Program is proud to announce that four of our students received their GED Certificates in November. This is an important accomplishment since a new test will begin in January of 2014, and anyone who has not passed the current test by December will have to start all over. The following students passed in November: Ronald Hickman–WL, Katie Douglas–RHS, Samantha Coates–NHS, & Patrick Tuck–NHS. Kayla Chatham-RHS earned her GED Certificate in December.

Congratulations Fall Graduates!

Horticulture & Landscaping News – Instructor Tammy Cole Students in the Northern Neck Horticulture and Landscaping Program are making great strides. It has been

quite a busy fall with several accomplishments and activities to their credit. Horticulture and Landscape

students worked together to plan, design, and install a landscape display at the State Fair of Virginia.

Countless visitors to the State Fair Student Gardens visited the NNTC display for family photo shoots in the

“Resting Place” with the antique pedal tractor. Students in both classes also redesigned the raised beds at

the entry of NNTC, removing old plant material and installing a botanical display with year-round appeal.

The newest FFA chapter in the state has also been established, the Northern Neck FFA Chapter. Chapter

officers were elected and students attended the VSU Fall Leadership Conference in Petersburg, VA

conducted by the Virginia Tech Collegiate FFA members. The FFA Chapter also conducted a very

successful fundraising venture, the first Northern Neck FFA Citrus Fruit Sale. Sales of fruit were also

supplemented by the sale of wreaths designed and constructed by Horticulture and Landscaping students.

Academically, students continue to prepare for certification tests that they will take to earn industry

credentials within the horticultural field. With the addition of landscaping equipment pieces and the

construction of the new greenhouse in full swing, the spring semester promises to be a very exciting one.

The New Greenhouse is almost finished! We are looking

forward to the spring plant sale at NNTC!

Nurse Aide News – Instructors Angela Faulkner & Brian Sydnor

Nurse Aide Students have been very busy learning the fundamental principles required in all medical

fields. We have been exploring foundational principles such as ethics, patient rights, worker and patient

safety, principles of infection control, among others. We have begun to learn skill sets such as

measuring vital signs, handwashing, proper use of personal protective equipment, transferring patients

from bed to wheelchair, assisting patients with ambulation, bedmaking, and a heavy emphasis on

fundamental skills such as bathing when we return in January. We are scheduled to begin our clinical

rotations in March at The Orchard, a long term care facility, in Warsaw, Virginia. The Orchard has a

stringent list of requirements for all students wishing to do their student practicals there, therefore we

have been busy obtaining flu shots, criminal background checks, safety trainings, obtaining

immunization records, etc…to ensure that each student will be ready to roll in March! The Nurse Aide

Class is affiliated with H.O.S.A. (Health Occupations Student Association). We have plans for several

members to attend the state leadership conference in March 2014.

Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter Page 4 of 6

Northern Neck Technical Center’s 1st Quarter Awards Assembly Thursday, November 14, 2013

At the end of each quarter, we recognize students for qualities important in the classroom as well as the workplace. Below are those students whose classroom performance and perfect attendance were applauded.

The staff and students showed their spirit this fall as we took a school wide picture. This picture will be used to reflect the programs at the NNTC. Posters have been made and will be

hung on the wall in all the participating high schools.

Contact Us!

www.northernnecktech.org

Northern Neck Technical Center

13946 Historyland Highway

Warsaw, Virginia 22572

Phone: (804) 333-4940

Fax: (804) 333-0538

Administrative Staff

Bernard Davis, Principal bdavis@northernnecktech.org

Todd Davis, Assistant Principal tdavis@northernnecktech.org

Deborah Hughes, Counselor

dhughes@northernnecktech.org

FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOPS

Deborah Hughes, School Counselor

High school seniors who are heading to college in the fall are having a busy year – college applications,

SAT/ACT tests, scholarships, and financial aid can all be determining factors as to which college they will

attend. Completing the FAFSA form is the key to finding out the amount of federal and state financial aid the

student will receive to pay for tuition, fees, books, and all those other living expenses needed for college

attendance.

The application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a government form filled out each year a student attends

college. January 1, 2014 is the first day the form can be completed online for fall attendance. It’s not as

complicated as it looks at first glance but a good explanation of the key terms, documentation required, and

the steps for completion will help tremendously. In most cases, parents need to be involved in the FAFSA

process; even if they have done it before, parents may be unaware of changes that occur each year that may

affect their student’s eligibility.

To help families with the completion of the FAFSA, local high schools are offering Financial Aid

Workshops for students and parents. Below you will find a list of some upcoming workshops. (Lancaster HS

& Northumberland HS held workshops in December.) For more information about these events, please call

the counseling office of your student’s home school.

DATE & TIME HIGH SCHOOL January 9, 2014 Washington & Lee HS 6:00 p.m.

January 21, 2014 Rappahannock HS 6:00 p.m.

January 27, 2014 Lancaster HS (part 2 – hands-on completion of FAFSA) 7:00 pm.

February 1, 2014 Colonial Beach & King George HS’s 10:00 a.m.

Super Saturday Event (come prepared to complete FAFSA)

February 5, 2014 Northern Neck Technical Center – PARENTS WELCOME

10:00 – 11:00 (a.m. students) 12:15 – 1:15 (p.m. students)

February 8, 2014 Washington & Lee HS Call for times

Super FAFSA Event (come prepared to complete FAFSA)

Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter Page 5 of 6 Page 6 of 6 Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Newsletter