CTE Showcase highlights Lewis-Palmer Middle School students
Dec. 15—In the "Cafetorium" at Lewis-Palmer Middle School, a group of students and parents watched as Carson Coryer, 13, held a sheep's brain in his gloved hands.
Their faces showed fascination and revulsion in nearly equal parts as Coryer, an eighth grader, spent a few minutes pointing to different sections of the brain and explaining their functions.
"OK, then. Let's get started," Coryer said. Then he sat the brain on a table, picked up a scalpel, and carefully sliced the brain in two.
The dissection was one of a host of demonstrations held by seventh and eighth graders on Wednesday during Lewis-Palmer Middle School's Career and Technical Education Showcase.
Assistant Principal Amy Sienkowski said the main purpose of the CTE forum was to highlight the growth and accomplishments of a group of gifted students who don't get many chances to show off.
"We've always had traditional avenues like plays, art shows and band concerts that highlight and showcase our kids' talents," Sienkowski said. "We don't always get the opportunity to show our CTE kids off to the community."
Coryer, who hopes to be a dermatologist or cardiothoracic surgeon one day, was demonstrating some of what he learned in a forensic science course called Medical Detectives, during which students learn to measure and interpret vital signs, investigate disease outbreaks, analyze medical data — and dissect sheep's brains.
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In addition to biomedical sciences, Lewis-Palmer offers elective courses in digital media/communications and industrial arts. Completed work from all three disciplines was on display at the Showcase, including: a "vitals" station taking blood pressure measurements; a Gateway to Technology exhibit with finished skateboards, birdhouses and miniature drag-racers; and a journalism display that showed episodes of the school's closed-circuit TV news program, "The Patriot Update."
The middle school's CTE program serves as kind of a feeder system for the high school, CTE coordinator Jessica McAllister said.
"It's important for kids to start to explore different potentials," McAllister said. "We're not trying to lock them into a career path, especially at such a young age. But it's a good time to expose them to different choices."
The program is a work in progress that will continue to evolve, so that it always dovetails with student interests and community needs, McAllister said.
"Part of my job is to pay attention to the local economic landscape, and to build programs that tap into it," she said. "For instance, it wouldn't make sense to have a farming or agricultural program here, because this isn't an agricultural community."
Even if students don't end up choosing one of the career paths offered in Lewis-Palmer's elective courses, McAllister said, they're acquiring skills that will serve them well in any walk of life.
"What I love most about this program is that it has real-world applications," she said. "It's not just about learning to use tools or work with computers. They're collaborating with students, working as part of a team, learning from failure. These are things they will be able to take with them, no mater what career they choose."
