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.)

Local Leaders Working To Make Oregon A "CTE Star"

On Tuesday, June 30th, a group of 45 movers and shakers from the education and business worlds gathered together at PCC Sylvania. The goal? To form a professional learning community in order to strengthen our regional CTE programs and form a cohesive vision for the future.

The meeting, facilitated by Solutions Tree associate Regina Owens, helped clarify the challenges we face, the successes we've achieved, and the goals we want to focus on in the coming years.

Here are a few of the accomplishments that our CTE regional leaders are most proud of:

• CTE programs are diverse and in high-demand
• Programs of Study completed and approved
• CTE classes keep kids in school
  
• Improved access to programs
• Partnerships with industry and post-secondary institutions
  
• Award-winning programs
• Awesome instructors
• Quality of CTE programs despite adversity

And here are some of their goals for the near future:

• Oregon becoming a "CTE Star"--a model in career training for the country (and the world!)
• Create and communicate a unified message about the importance of CTE
• Better vertical integration between secondary and post-secondary
• Creation of a tracking system to see the success of our programs
• Develop stronger partnerships with local businesses
• Technical degrees not seen as “less than.”

This meeting forged important connections between high school teachers, administrators, Portland Community College, the Oregon Department of Education, and the local business community. Together, this group is working hard to maintain past success and put these exciting new goals into action.

Westview Girls In Tech

Westview High School film students Gabby Clark, Olivia Wheeler, and Matt O'Hara produced this sleek recruitment video to encourage more girls to sign up for career and technical classes.