This Video Sums It Up

Beaverton Superintendent Jeff Rose wanted to illustrate the amazing impact of CTE programs, so he went straight to the source--students and teachers in the Health Careers program at Maryville Nursing Home. This video spreads the message loud and clear: CTE classes make a difference for students and our communities.

Career Days Give Students Hands-On Experience In Nontraditional Careers

This year, for the first time ever, PCC PAVTEC partnered with the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce to put on two high school Career Days focused on careers that are nontraditional by gender.

On October 25th nearly 70 young women from area high schools came to PCC's Willow Creek campus for Girls' Day Out. Pioneering female sports broadcaster Ann Schatz kicked things off with an inspiring speech, and for the rest of the day the students rotated through hands-on activities and Q&A sessions with professionals currently working in nontraditional fields such as engineering, manufacturing, and electronic technology.

All the professionals donated their time to attend the event and based on feedback from students, the day was a huge success. The vast majority of young women who attended expressed interest in learning more about working in a nontraditional field.


On November 1st it was time for Guys' Day Out. Fifty high school boys gathered at the Tuality Health Education Center for a full day of career exploration activities focused on early childhood education and nursing careers. They spent time in a second grade classroom helping kids with their reading lessons, toured the preschool at HilHi, spoke to a child and family studies graduatehad candid Q&A sessions with nurses and other medical professionals.

These two career days were an eye-opening experience, and one thing's for sure: this lucky group of will definitely have a different perspective about what constitutes a "traditional career" from now on.

Social Media Outreach Video Playlist

Check out all of our amazing student-produced Social Media Outreach videos in one handy playlist!

HilHi Student Shows Senator Merkley That "Girls Get IT"

On Friday, August 26th, Senator Jeff Merkley visited Hillsboro High School to discuss the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. HilHi junior Savannah Loberger gave a presentation about a project she undertook this summer: organizing a 5-day STEM summer camp called "Girls Get IT."

The camp was staffed by female engineering students who volunteered their time to coach, teach, and mentor 37 young women through hands-on activities that ranged from learning binary code to electrocuting pickles. Savannah pulled together funding and donations from local companies to provide supplies, food, and tech-centric goodie bags for participants (there was a lego keychain involved).

The whole crowd--which consisted of business and political leaders, STEM students, and the media--was impressed with Savannah's work, but Senator Merkley's reaction really summed it up: "That is easily the coolest project I've seen from a high school student," he said. "Also, what exactly happens when you electrocute a pickle?"

To hear the answer to that question and learn more about "Girls Get IT," check out Savannah's speech:



HilHi engineering and robotics teacher Don Domes spoke about the state of STEM education in Oregon and shared his vision for success in the future:



Thank you to Senator Merkley for visiting HilHi and championing STEM programs in congress, and thank you to Savannah Loberger, Mr. Domes, and others in our region who work hard every day to improve access to quality high tech education.

Extra Credit:
Steve Duin's column on Merkley's visit
Hillsboro Argus article on "Girls Get IT"
Salem-News article on Merkley's STEM legislation

We Dare You To Not Laugh At This Video

When Banks High School senior Korey Kelly was tasked with making a recruitment video for his Animal Sciences class, he turned to a classic marketing adage: You can't go wrong with a man in a bunny suit.

Check out the hilarious finished product above, and see how Korey was able to use humor to get his message across. (We've watched it about 15 times here at PAVTEC, and we're still giggling.)