Columbia City High School

Our CCHS staff gathered for a short time during our work day to say farewell to Mrs. Gail Sheckler and Mr. Brian Anspach as they begin their retirement. Together, with their families, the CCHS administrative team and co-workers shared a brief overview of their time at CCHS and the impact they've made in our building. Mr. Mullett said it best when he said, "how you love and care for students will be truly missed!" Thank you, Gail and Brian, for your years of dedication to our eagles!

Mr. Ambrose's Preparing for College and Careers class had mock interviews this week. We had 25 community volunteers provide this experience for 88 students. This is a great experience to practice professional introductions, handshakes, eye contact, and professional conversation. THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers!

WCCS Families, With winter break here, I want to remind you that the safety and well-being of our school community continue to be a top priority. The holidays are a time when some students may need additional support. During the break, the reporting feature for STOPit, our anonymous reporting system will be shut off. Students will continue to have access to the app for local resources and the Crisis Text Line services during the break. The reporting feature will come back into service on January 5. -Lyle Kuhmichel Director of District Safety and Student Services

This week our Career and Technical Education (CTE) leaders hosted career pathway advisory board meetings to connect existing and potential industry leaders with our school community. Introducing our partners to the new CCHS academy structure and tabletop discussions collaborating on student and industry outcomes were the highlights. We extend our appreciation to our partners! Our work-based learning and career-focused classes wouldn't be the same without you! If you're interested in partnering with CCHS, contact Jennifer Reiff or Lori Heuer. You can learn more on our website at https://www.wccsonline.com/o/cchs/page/academies #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

CTE Criminal Justice | Our Criminal Justice class has learned proper handcuffing techniques under the guidance of Instructor Stacy Sexton! Here they’re practicing proper technique and defense. Career and Technical Education is all about hands-on training, and these future law enforcement professionals are gaining critical skills for safe and professional interactions. Mr. Sexton is a retired law enforcement officer and supervised all classroom and curriculum content to ensure student safety during the practicum. #CTE #PublicSafety #ExperienceWCCS

CTE Health Sciences | Mr. Matt Bock’s classes have been busy applying their classroom learning by visiting the Cadaver Lab and practicing sutures! The Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) is a certification option our students can receive during their health science pathway. With 24 pathways offered at CCHS, there are Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for all. Learn more at wccsonline.com/cchs. #ExperienceWCCS #CTE #HealthScience #CCMA

Our Business Professionals of America (BPA) competed at regionals this past weekend. Of the 26 students from CCHS who competed, they all qualified for State in at least one contest! Congratulations! Wyatt F., First Place Fundamental Accounting; Lukas S., Second Place Fundamental Accounting; Jeffery C., Second Place Business Law; John W., First Place Python Programming; Dylan M., Sixth Place Personal Finance; Will S., First Place Personal Finance and First Place Medical Coding; Ryan B., First Place Legal Office Procedures; Fe' W.m, Fourth Place Legal Office Procedures; Monty G.m, Fifth Place Business Law; Thomas S., First Place Business Law; Hannah Q., First Place Advanced Spreadsheets and Fourth Place Medical Coding; team of Olivia G. and Ryan B., First Place Financial Analyst Team; Olivia G., Fourth Place Health Admin. Procedures; Sabb S., Third Place Prepared Speech; Elle B. and Kristina F., First Place Global Marketing Team; Braxton T., Adam L. and Tyler L, First Place Small Business Management Team; Leslie S., second place Graphic Design and Amelia M, First Place Human Resource Management. Several other students compete in contests that are straight-to-state events. Led by Mr. Ambrose and Mrs. James, BPA can be joined at any time during the year and is great opportunity for students! Learn more at wccsonline.com/cchs.

Welcome back, Eagles! As a reminder, there are no students tomorrow, December 3. This is a scheduled professional development day for all of our staff.

The Columbia City High School Welding II students passed their welding certifications with 100 percent passing rate! Observed by Chris Morr of Morr Welding Instruction and Certification, the second year welding students tested in 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G skills proving their proficiency. "The welding program and Mr. Rusher helped me a lot. I'd say the test makes it nice to join the workforce and earn more money right away," says Iziah Rinehold, CCHS senior. He plans to continue welding for a career. The certifications are earned through the American Welding Society and the students are tested at school in their normal environment. "Testing on their machines, in their space is helpful. They're used to the work and dial their welders in for their own tests. They test on MIG welders with steel. Thank you, SDI for all the material to support our success," said Matt Rusher, CCHS CTE Welding Instructor. Steel Dynamics has donated all of the steel, wire and rods to support all of the welding program! THANK YOU!

CCHS Construction Trades Students Get Hands-On with Walls and Wiring! The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Construction Trades class at Columbia City High School has been hard at work over the past few weeks, honing their skills in wall construction and electrical work. Under the guidance of Mr. Krill, these dedicated students have been building structures of various dimensions, then tearing them apart to begin prepping and drywalling. As Instructor Krill likes to say, "you gotta learn it to earn it" - and these students are certainly proving their commitment to mastering the trade. Beyond developing technical skills, the CTE Construction Trades class had the opportunity to put their skills to the test in real-world applications. The students have recently assisted the City of Columbia City and the Whitley County Chamber with the Beyond the Kitchen project, putting their construction know-how to good use in service of the community. The CTE pathways at CCHS are equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in the construction industry. #WCCSExperience #CTE #ConstructionTrades

The Criminal Justice classes had the opportunity to tour the new Whitley County Jail! While on their tour, students learned about administrative careers, learned how evidence is taken, saw the state-of-the-art dispatch center, and walked through the jail side from the booking counter to the cafeteria. While the students were there, the Sherrif's department answered all of the questions and introduced carers they can start as soon as they are 18 before they can go to the Police Academy at 21. We are grateful for our Criminal Justice Instructor, Mr. Stacey Sexton who retired from law enforcement before he joined our CCHS team. Criminal Justice is in its third year of our CTE pathways and sees continual growth each year. Students can earn their Emergency Telecommunicator Certification while at CCHS and dual credits for their time spent in the pathway. Thank you, Sheriff Spencer, Sean Martin and Todd Cook for your time and expertise! #CTE #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Intern Spotlight | Alivia interns with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group, Rachel Bergam, to apply principles learned in her business marketing and management classes at CCHS. Thank you, Rachel for hosting! #WorkBasedLearning #CTE #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Intern Spotlight | Andrew interns with the University of Saint Francis Athletic Department. Through his internship, Andrew has seen all parts of the athletic department business from creating rosters and calling plays from the press box. All internships are personalized for students' interests so when Andrew showed interest in sports management and marketing, the team gathered ideas and Andrew's persistence paid off. Andrew made all of his phone calls and scheduled his interview with USF this past summer in preparation for his fall internship. Great work, Andrew and thank you, USF for hosting! #WorkBasedLearning #CTE #WCCSExperience

Intern Spotlight | Berkley hopes to become a nurse anesthetist so she's learning and observing a lot during her internship with the OR team at Parkview Whitley. The Health and Human Services Career Focus hosts work-based learning experiences in places like hospitals, nursing homes, schools, counseling offices, and more! There is a place for all students at CCHS! #WorkBasedLearning #CTE #WCCSExperience #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Intern Spotlight | No project is too small for our BAC career-focused intern, Annabell. Annabell is working with the Custom Home Design team to put her architecture and design classes to use. She hopes to earn her college degree in architecture. Businesses of all sizes are welcome to host internships for our students. With more than 100 interns each semester, there is a student who would benefit from a placement with our community partners. Our work-based learning opportunities all look different to benefit the employer and the student. Connect with Mrs. Heuer to get started! #WCCSExperience #WorkBasedLearning #CTE #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Intern Spotlight | Tires, brakes and oil changes are part of everyday learning for Ayden! Interning for Star Tire and Automotive, Ayden uses his high-school-earned certification daily through the MET career focus. Ayden plans to stay in automotive after graduation and use his CCHS experiences! #CTE #WorkBasedLearning #ExperienceWCCS

Intern Spotlight | Gavin wants to continue his education in construction management and his time at More Farm Stores provides a great hands-on application! Our work-based learning students spend a minimum of 12 hours a week at their placement and have continual conversations with their supervisor about professional pieces like requesting vacation days, learning about benefits offered, and expectations with uniforms, and so much more! #WorkBasedLearning #CTE #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

We're Hiring at CCHS! Columbia City High School is seeking a part-time para-professional to join our EAGLE room team. This 5-hour per day position will provide instructional and behavioral support to students in our specialized EAGLE program. Responsibilities include: - Monitoring student behavior and implementing behavior intervention strategies - Facilitating small group and 1-on-1 learning activities - Collaborating with the special education team Qualified candidates should have: - High school diploma or equivalent - Strong communication and interpersonal skills This is a great opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of our students. If you're interested in joining our team, please apply by December 27, at https://www.applitrack.com/r8esc/onlineapp/default.aspx?choosedistrict=true&applitrackclient=37410&category=Support+Staff #SpecialEducation #ExperienceWCCS #CCHS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Intern Spotlight | Nevaeh interns with the Parkview Physician's Group to help plan her next steps. Nevaeh completed the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) program at CCHS and knew she wanted to serve others. Parkview hosts our students routinely, giving them great experiences. Thank you! #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders #CTE #WorkBasedLearning

Intern Spotlight | Senior Levi applies his agriculture and business classes at Miller Sewer and Drain. Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology (MET) is his career focus at Columbia City High School and he's using his hands-on experience to continue learning. Thank you, Miller Sewer and Drain for hosting Levi! #ExperienceWCCS #WCCSRelationshipBuilders #CTE