Around 240 local 6th grade students got a first-hand look at some of the newest technology this week in Chipley, Florida, and perhaps even got some ideas about what career paths they’d like to pursue, as seen in these contributed photos.
This week Florida Panhandle Technical College hosted a two-day STEM session, through a grant from Motorola, dealing with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, on Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 19, and the educational event was a huge success.
6th Grade students from Roulhac Middle School in Chipley and Vernon Middle School experienced first-hand activities with airborne drones, 3D printing, green screen video production, rockets, electrical and electronic systems and underwater robots.
The students enjoyed a hands-on opportunity to experience some of this technology, and many community partners stepped up to help make the event happen.
Florida Panhandle Technical College wants to say ‘Thanks’ to Washington County Superintendent of Schools Joe Taylor and the Washington County School Board members, RMS Principal Nancy Holley and VMS Principal Kim Register, and all the 6th grade teachers and staff from RMS and VMS.
Thanks also to Community South Credit Union and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for providing lunch for both days, and the Chipley, Florida Fire Department for providing the water tank for the underwater robotics..
Thanks to John Hansel, US Navy and Navy Association of Rocketry, FSU Panama City Electrical and Computer Engineering Program: Dr. Steve Brooks, Isaac Brooks, Emily Crews and Jennifer Canady, as well as Roulhac Middle School teacher Cindy Padgett.
This week is just another example of how Florida Panhandle Technical College is leading the region in cutting-edge technology education and, with over 35 degree and certification programs, is helping people to find real, well-paid jobs in the region.
A large thanks also goes to FPTC Director Martha Compton and all the FPTC staff, instructors and support personnel, without whom the event would not have been possible.
‘This is an opportunity to educate the students, but our instructors also come away with a fresh new perspective’, said Compton following the sessions. ‘We want to thank our community partners, our school district and our staff for making this a very successful event’.
‘Students and their respective teachers, as well as their parents, come away from this experience with a better idea of what we offer right here in Chipley, Florida’, continued Compton, and are sometimes very surprised at the cutting-edge technology with which, and for which, we prepare our students. In this case, many of these students will potentially attend Florida Panhandle Technical College as dual-enrolled high school students a few years from now, better prepared for a career in the real world’.
Florida Panhandle Technical College has enjoyed a strong dual-enrollment from local high schools, allowing graduating seniors to have a marketable job skill which they can use to help pay their way through a traditional four-year college, should they follow that career path.
For the second year in a row, Florida Panhandle Technical College has seen a significant increase in enrollment for the wide array of programs currently available on the downtown Chipley, Florida campus.
Providing ‘A career in a year’ for many well-paid jobs, the college allows retooling of a person’s life through education, enabling immediate jobs upon completion.
Recently awarded the title of one of the ‘Best Colleges in Florida’, it was stated that “Florida Panhandle Tech’s mission is firmly rooted in competent technical education for employment and advancement in vocational careers. FPTC is one of the best community colleges in Florida in terms of cost and quality of education”.
