Presented by Mark Wreath, CTE Director, Vancouver Public Schools (WA); Enrique Medina, Ph.D., Director of Career Readiness, Pomona Unified School District (CA); and Renda Songer, Teaching & Learning Consultant, Region 10 Education Service Center (TX)
Moderated by Gabe Soumakian, Ed.D., Retired Superintendent, Consultant, Sup Du Jour Consulting Group

Sponsored by Paxton/Patterson

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.
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The pandemic has changed the world of work and the world of education is adapting to redesign the classroom of the future. The goal of this edWebinar is to inspire educators to adopt proven strategies for implementing robust CTE (career and technical education) beginning in middle schools through a project-based, hands-on curriculum.

The CTE leaders share how their vision became a reality as they successfully transformed their middle school CTE program. The learning space redesign allowed students to explore and discover their interests and aptitudes from numerous career sectors aligned with their high school and post-secondary options. Educators also share how increased student engagement addressed the equity needs of underserved and special-needs students to develop confidence in themselves during these challenging times.

edWebinar learning objectives include:

• Develop ideas to improve CTE
• Learn how to create an implementation plan
• Discover novel ways for CTE to thrive during the pandemic

This recorded edWebinar will be of general interest for any educator who is interested in career and technical education, especially educators at the middle school level.

About the Presenter

Mark Wreath is the director of career and technical education for Vancouver Public Schools offering CTE programs in seven middle schools and six high schools. Over 3,500 students are enrolled in CTE courses supported by 120 teachers and staff. CTE students earn college credit in a post-secondary institution aligned with their program and industry-recognized certifications. Vancouver Public Schools focuses on graduating career- and college-ready citizens!

Mark has 19 years of CTE experience in both Oregon and Washington and brings a breadth of knowledge from the workforce. He served in the U.S. Air Force as Aircraft Electrician and has worked the assembly line at Freightliner Truck manufacturing, as a journeyman laborer for Weyerhaeuser, and as a corrections deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. These diverse experiences shaped his advocacy for skilled training in public education.

Dr. Enrique Medina’s career with Pomona Unified School District started in 1990. His focus is to make sure all students can be career ready to encourage the development of new 21st century CTE programs, and to enhance and maintain current CTE programs that are in high demand in the labor market. A key component is providing the career pathways and employability skills that are necessary to successfully transition to employment and postsecondary education.

As an immigrant to the U.S. at the age of 12 from Mexico, he understands the value of education. Dr. Medina earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with an emphasis in biochemistry from the University of California San Diego. He obtained a master’s degree in social and psychological foundations of education and his Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Medina has been happily married for over 25 years to his wife, Alma, and has two children, Anthony and Maya.

Renda Songer was born in Dallas, TX and received her bachelor’s degree in business management from Tarleton State University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Lamar University. Currently, Renda is CTE Teaching and Learning Consultant for Region 10 Education Service Center.

At Community ISD, Renda worked with an innovative team including the Region 10 2019 Superintendent of the Year to restructure and create innovative CTE programs and college- and career-readiness strategies. Those increased CTE funding by more than one million dollars and transformed the once “C”-rated district into an “A”-rated district. Renda successfully authored grant applications that produced over one million dollars in grant funding for Community ISD and added high-wage CTE programs of study in automotive, construction, and information technology.

Renda loves being at the beach, reading and writing, and spending time with her HUGE family including husband Jimmy, daughters Amanda, Haley, Shelby, Darby and Riley, and son Jackson.

About the Moderator

Dr. Gabe Soumakian is the retired superintendent from Oxnard Union High School District in Ventura County, CA. He has been actively involved with and presented at numerous leadership organizations at the state and national levels on personalized digital learning and Linked Learning Academies. Dr. Soumakian has served on the Future Ready Leader Panel of Visionary Educators, is a National Academy Foundation Leadership Fellow, and participated with the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. His passion is supporting districts with the digital transformation and preparing students for college, career, and life readiness. Dr. Soumakian has over 40 years of education experience, including 18 years of high school teaching and coaching. Dr. Soumakian serves as the CEO of the Sup Du Jour Consulting Group focusing on college and career readiness and supporting districts implementing middle school project-based learning models.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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PAXTON/PATTERSON College & Career Ready Labs enable students to discover their interests and aptitudes through a series of robust career exploration experiences. Hands-on project-based learning equips students to make informed career pathways decisions. We also provide thousands of tools, furniture, supplies, and equipment to CTE programs in the USA.