May 27, 2016 | Article
What differentiates a career and technical education program from traditional academic instruction is its emphasis on providing real world opportunities for students to demonstrate and apply their learning. At the Seacoast School of Technology (SST) in Exeter, this concept is seen in action nearly 7 days each week, as Culinary Arts students routinely plan for and execute meals for anywhere between 200 and 2,000 people.
According to Instructor James Collins, SST’s Culinary Arts Program differs from that at most other Career and Technical Schools around the Granite State. “The SST culinary arts kitchen is built with ‘scale’ in mind,” he said. “What scale enables and requires is a familiarity not only with various size, capabilities and differences in equipment, but also the math that goes along with it. Other important learning outcomes include timing and logistics.”
He cited the variety of ovens as one example of scale, as he noted the SST kitchen relies less on redundancy than some other kitchens, which enables students to learn in different ways.
“Ovens in the SST kitchen range from a simple deck oven used for pizzas—the current one is original to the beginning of the program—to a large combination convection oven, a conventional oven, steamers and a portable electric oven,” he said. “Having this level of choice causes the student to think strategically to match the job to the tool. It also prepares them some of the more advanced decision-making expected of an employee in a real-life application.”
He said what is equally significant about the SST kitchen is its work flow and set up.
“Our prep benches are unique and custom-designed and often emulated now,” he said. “We have 7 hand wash sinks to enable students to begin their lab assignments quickly, maximizing lab time. We have a commercial laundry setup designed to handle the multiple loads of laundry done each day. Our finishing line is better equipped than most local restaurants.”
In addition, he said their dining room is designed as a multi-purpose room with large capacity and two air walls to shrink the room to accommodate small groups he said it also has hookups for state-of-the-art audio visual technology.
SST’s state of the art kitchen is not the result of luck, however, but rather the result of an intentional planning process that began a couple years before the school’s renovation in 2008. According to Collins, committees were formed to conceptualize what SST would look like to the community in terms of programs offered, their scope and other relevant details.
“The instructors were encouraged to participate and use students and others, such as their advisory committees and outside stakeholders, to help ‘design’ their ideal learning/teaching environments,” he said. “In the case of culinary, I was fortunate to have a chef from UNH, Exeter’s Health Inspector, some other folks from the industry and students to help put together a plan for review.”
He said it was during these discussions that “scale” began to take shape as a way to differentiate SST’s Culinary Arts program from others in the state.
“Given the culinary interest in the Seacoast area, we wanted our students to be able to go out into industry prepared for what they would encounter in regard to food preparation techniques, presentation and service,” he added.
May 27, 2016 | Article
Competing for the first time in any ProStart competition, Concord Regional Technical Center Culinary students made it all the way to the National Invitation from April 29 to May 1 in Dallas, Texas. Placing 22nd out of 46 teams, the team had an incredible experience, according to Culinary Arts Student Chase Haines, who served as appetizer cook at the competition.
“It was great to work with such high-end chefs and to receive job opportunities from them as well as excellent critiques on our dishes,” he said. I think it’s safe to say, we all had an incredible time as a team at the Gaylord Hotel. We also got to hang out with a bunch of other teams from around the country.”
Despite it being their first time competing at such a high level, Chase said the entire team felt confident upon arrival. “We knew what we had to do and the only thing left was to execute it,” he added.
In summing up the team’s performance at the nationals, Bob McIntosh, Chef Instructor at Concord Regional Technical Center, applauded their hard work and determination in just getting there. He said they also responded quite well to adversity in the competition itself.
“At one point, they were 13 minutes behind their normal timing, but pulled together as a team and were able to make up all but 1 and a quarter minutes,” he said. “The judges’ critiques were very favorable in all segments, including telling them that they aced the recipe and costing book.”
Noting it is unusual for a school to enter a ProStart Competition and compete well enough to go to the nationals, McIntosh commended the students’ work ethic and passion for food. He also cited the structure of the ProStart competition format at the state, regional and national levels as noteworthy.
“All of the competitions were well run and staffed by professionals who gave the students very informative critiques, taking time to teach and mentor as well as judge,” he explained. “We had lots of support from many chefs as well as industry mentor, Chef Gary Sheldon. It was also very helpful that the NHLRAEF and the sponsors were able to finance most of our trip to Texas.”
May 27, 2016 | Article
Since 2010 in the Nashua School District, the Kick Start High School summer program has been offered to a select group of rising freshmen who are not meeting their full potential in school due to poor attendance, performance or test scores.
According to Martine Cloutier of Careers in Education 1 at Nashua High School South, these middle school students are identified and referred by their guidance counselors in an attempt to give them a “kick start” to their high school credits.
“The program is designed to focus on enhancing literacy, numeracy and science skills while demonstrating these skills in real word experiences,” she said.
The Career and Technical Education component is offered during the last 2 weeks of the program as an incentive to get through the summer program and to demonstrate the use of the skills they are learning through hands on applications.
“Students are introduced to 5 different CTE programs through a round robin event that presents them with some of the CTE programs offered at both Nashua High School North and Nashua High School South,” she said. “Students then prepare for interviews, complete with cover letters, and do a rotating interview session with the separate CTE instructors. Once accepted, students participate in 2 different CTE programs.”
According to Cloutier, the Kick Start curriculum incorporates the use of literacy, numeracy and science and helps students make connections to the importance of these skills in potential career pathways after high school.
“This program also helps students gain confidence before coming to high school as they get familiar with the learning environment they are to be part of in the fall,” she said.
Reaction by students has been equally positive, some of whom cite profound benefits. Ciara O’Brien, 11th grader at Nashua High School North, said, “The thing I like the best was how it taught me more responsibility skills and shaped me into a better person…I also learned that being in a CTE will give you more experience and also a chance to get a feel of the career you want to pursue.”
In O’Brien’s case, her participation in Kick Start altered her career aspirations, as she began the program with the intent to become a nurse, but left it with a desire to become a preschool elementary school teacher. She is currently enrolled in Careers in Education.
Samantha Diorio, 11th grader at Nashua High School North, said she also experienced a similar change of heart after completing the program.
“Before Kick Start, I wanted to be a vet or someone who is involved in animal rescue,” she said. “I’ve always had an interest in film—and taking video production in Kick Start [rekindled] my film interest and now I hope to someday be a director.”
According to Cloutier, interest in the program continues to grow with “a significant amount of Kick Start students enrolling in our CTE classes once they are eligible to sign up.”
“The students we have in our current classes come in with an advantage, having had a chance to do some training over the summer,” she added. “It’s a great program.”
Apr 19, 2016 | Article
The result of a discussion at a Public Relations Committee meeting in the spring of last year, the Ambassador Program at Nashua Technology Center (NTC) has experienced significant success in just its first year. According to Instructor Jeff Leone, who helped develop the program along with Martine Cloutier and Judith Loftus, the impetus behind it was to help current CTE students meaningfully connect with potential prospects.
“In talking with students currently enrolled in CTE programs, many indicated that ‘word of mouth’ and actually having seen the classrooms—a tour, passing in a hallway, having a friend in the program—often was the way they learned about our programs,” he said.
Upon returning to school in the Fall of 2015, he said they asked other CTE instructors to nominate between 3 and 5 of their strongest students to serve as NTC Ambassadors.
“We ended up with over 40 students nominated,” he said. “Ambassadors were asked to attend an initial information meeting where the program was explained to them and applications were completed. We also had the opportunity to speak with these outstanding students about their experiences in the CTE programs and the message they would want to share with other students.”
He said one of the primary goals of the Ambassador Program was to have student representation of their CTE programs at various events throughout the school year. He noted that the biggest event in which the Ambassadors participated was their CTE Round Robin event held the week before course selection. Noting most CTE programs are 2 year programs with students typically beginning in their junior year, Leone said the event provided ambassadors from each CTE program with the opportunity to meaningfully talk to the sophomore class.
“These younger students then had an opportunity to try out the program through a ‘hands on’ experience during our school’s ‘e-block’ period,” he said. “Because the activities were hands on, it was a great way to engage potential students and promote the programs—and because the event was held right at the start of course selection, the courses were fresh in the minds of students.”
What is next?
According to Leone, ambassadors are currently providing tours of CTE programs to administration, community members, and middle school students that visit the high school. He said they have participated in elementary and middle schools’ STEAM nights and will also be involved in their ‘Push Up Night’ for rising 9th graders.
“In the coming months, our CTE instructors will select the next ‘crop’ of students to be Ambassadors for next year and our current Ambassadors will train them,” added Leone, who noted that preliminary numbers show increased CTE enrollment.
Current ambassadors may be the predictor for the program’s ultimate success, as many have expressed enthusiasm regarding their experience. One current ambassador remarked, “I’ve been able to promote a class I love and see other people get excited to take it. I’ve also been able to see what other CTE programs are like, which can be helpful when helping someone figure out what classes they should take.”
Expressing excitement at its future, Leone said the Ambassador Program underscores a very important message, which he hopes reaches communities outside CTE.
“Career and Technical Education is real life education,” he explained. “It prepares students for what they can expect in the real world, gives them hands-on experience, and simulates real life situations.”
He also expressed admiration and respect for the role the ambassadors have played in the program’s initial success.
“These students are the best of the best,” he said. “They are practicing their skills learned in their respective classes by selling it to others, teaching skills they have learned, and sharing their experiences, and how it has helped mold them as a future professional and as a person.”
Apr 19, 2016 | Article
In just her second year as a welding student, Senior Kayleigh Eastman has already experienced tremendous success, as she recently won gold in the SkillsUSA NH welding competition. For Dennis Carrier, her instructor at the Berlin Regional Career & Technical Center, her accolade exemplifies a winning attitude.
“Kayleigh is an achiever who works hard in the shop and utilizes her time in to become the best she can be,” he noted. “She was also willing to spend time after school in the shop a few days a week for the month prior to the competition.”
In winning the state championship, which entailed that she complete a written test and demonstrate her skills in four practical welding processes, Kayleigh qualified for the national championship in June in Kentucky. It is an opportunity no female has ever experienced in New Hampshire before.
“Both my teacher and I remember having a conversation and I said that I wanted to be the first girl to make it to nationals,” she said. “I am still in disbelief that I accomplished this because this has been a dream of mine since I was in the introductory class.”
Noting that winning the award has made her feel “very thankful for being able to be in such a great program,” Kayleigh acknowledged she had to dig deep in order to achieve her goal.
On competition day, I was a bit nervous, but the judges did a good job of creating a welcoming environment for all of the competitors,” she said.
“Winning the state competition was an especially great honor since I was the only girl,” she added. “Being the only girl was something that further fueled my initiative to get better because I wanted to prove girls can weld just as good.”
While demonstrating proficiency in welding is of course critical, Carrier cited other practical skills that are developed in the CTE program.
Throughout the program, she has learned leadership skills, the ability to work independently, and how to work with others to complete projects,” he said. “She has also learned how to perform under pressure.”
For Kayleigh, her experience in the welding program at the Berlin Regional Career & Technical Center has been decidedly positive.
“My favorite part of the program is being in a class that feels like a family,” she said. “Everyone is very supportive of each other. The program also offers many great opportunities like being able to compete for SkillsUSA and having the option to get certified in Structural Steel Unlimited.”
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high performance workers in public career and technical programs. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers, high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives’, working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. To learn more, visit SkillsUSA.org.
Mar 21, 2016 | Article
While known as a quiet young man, Portsmouth High School Senior and Culinary Arts student Carson Crisp is racking up accolades that will soon make it difficult for him to not step into the spotlight.
“I personally think I am more amazed at what he has accomplished than he is of himself,” noted Chef Perrin Long, who is Crisp’s Culinary Arts instructor.
Some of Crisp’s most notable accomplishments include first place at NH’s SkillsUSA Hot Food Competition last March followed by a 7th place finish at the Skills USA National Championship in Lexington, KY in June. Most recently, he earned the coveted ProStart National Certificate of Achievement. To earn the certificate, students pass two national exams, demonstrate a mastery of foundational skills and work 400 mentored hours.
“It is a great feeling that after my two years of work I’ve completed all the necessary requirements to receive my COA [Certificate of Achievement],” Crisp noted. “It is made better by knowing that I am one a few students—if not the first—in NH to receive this award.”
Earning a COA provides students with distinct advantages in their job searches and opens the door to collegiate opportunities, as numerous restaurant, foodservice and hospitality programs offer benefits to ProStart graduates. These benefits include scholarships, class credits and credit towards work experience requirements.
According to Chef Long, Crisp distinguishes himself in one key way. “Carson has the ability to absorb and synthesize important culinary concepts and translate them effectively in how he cooks and works in the kitchen,” he said.
Noting he has been accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Long said Crisp’s restaurant experience includes a position at Martingale Wharf, while he is currently employed by Chef Matt Louis at the Franklin Oyster House in Portsmouth. In looking ahead for Crisp, he said his immediate future entails trying to replicate his success from last year.
His next competition is the NH Skills USA Culinary Competition on Friday March 18th at the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter. (Writer’s note: Crisp won gold again and will head back to Louisville in June. Follow-up article to appear in next month’s newsletter).
“This is the competition he won last year—and if he can place 1st again he would again travel to Louisville, KY in June,” Chef Long added.
Expressing his belief he is ready for this next round of competitions, Crisp acknowledged he did not feel quite so confident last year. Citing Chef Long’s encouragement as essential, he said he could not help but smile as he walked up to receive his award.
“I went into the national competition feeling more confident in my skills than when I went to states,” he said. “At the end of the competition, I felt I had done my best and was happy with what I had done. When I found out I had placed 7th in the nation, it was a great feeling because that is the highest any culinary competitor from New Hampshire had placed.”
As for where he imagines Crisp will be in 10 years, Chef Long said the sky is the limit.
“I would imagine he would be a Sous Chef at high level restaurant, perhaps a Chef at a smaller restaurant or even own his own business,” he said. “As you know, it is hard to qualify what success looks like for anyone individual. I simply know in my heart that success is likely to find Carson.”
Carson’s Accomplishments to Date
Two 1st Place Finishes in NH Pro Start State Competition(Team) 2014, 2015
Two First Place Finishes in the Maine-NH Pro Start Invitational Challenge(Team) 2014, 2015
Two Gold Medals in Skills USA Culinary Competition, 2015, 2016
7th Place in the Nation at Skills USA National Championships (2015)
Outstanding Culinary Student of the Year Award(PHS) 2015
Pro Start Certificate of Achievement (2016)
Accepted to the Culinary Institute of America
