Traditional colleges and universities may not be the best choice for everyone seeking a career path. Students may prefer to learn in an immersion program with hands on experience. There are many pathways to an education and career such as construction, welding, healthcare, programming, technology and many more. The question is what do they do with their passion, and where can they get the training needed? Enter Sno-Isle TECH and their 22 programs offering technical training for high school students.
Every year over 1000 students attend classes at Sno-Isle TECH, and enrollment for each student goes through one person at the school. As you can imagine, that amount of work can be strenuous to keep organized. Thankfully Sno-Isle TECH has Theresa Hausmann in the newly created CTE Administrative Support Specialist/ Enrollment Director role to organize the incoming students to Sno-Isle TECH.
The CTE Administrative Support Specialist/ Enrollment Director role was created out of a necessity to have one person head up the job that is the Sno-Isle TECH Application and Enrollment process. Theresa has assisted the Sno-Isle TECH administration with this process for the past several years as the process transitioned from paper application to electronic, and then from the original SIREG platform to the current Survey Monkey application platform. Is she ready for the challenge? Absolutely! “The biggest change for me in this position is taking on some leadership and system management responsibilities, and leaving behind much of the student engagement part of my day”. “I negotiated to keep my ASB Advisor role so that I could maintain my contact with students, as they are my motivation for this work. I look forward to the challenges of this new position,” she says.
This year’s theme seems to be about change, and how everyone and everything will operate. “My one expectation for the school year, given the virtual environment is: change is certain. Be flexible, patient and available is my mantra,” she adds. “The virtual environment will add challenge and change for the teachers and students. Starting out this September has been a huge challenge, yet completely worth the time it has taken to accomplish! Our teachers have developed robust programs for the virtual classroom to offer students the ability to learn the skills needed to begin their careers.” All programs at Sno-Isle TECH were originally designed for a “hands-on” learning environment, but this semester 12 of the programs will have limited in-person lab time.
The change to virtual school and limited on-campus classes has also caused challenges and change with contributing schools. Theresa believes communication is the key to ensuring success for the students. “Sending schools can help with the coordination of our shared students schedules by communicating often, be as flexible as possible, and understand that we are trying to coordinate AM and PM schedules for several schools who all have their own different pandemic distance learning schedules. Finding a timeslot that works for all students, especially those attending the on-campus labs, has been a fun challenge – like the hardest Sudoku puzzle you have ever attempted!” she says.
Enrollment for the 2021 – 2022 classes seems like a long time from now, but every year passes quickly. Students may have interest in classes, but with virtual school may not be sure how to go about signing up for classes. If you’re considering enrolling next year, Hausmann has this advice for students, “Learn as much as you can about the class you think you are interested in taking: watch the video for the class, read the teacher’s biography, read the class syllabus, talk to current students in the program (from your sending school or come to an open house – we will have these virtually this year!). Be on track to graduate – this is often the biggest roadblock, especially for incoming seniors who want to take a Sno-Isle TECH class. Our programs offer 3 credits per year, and students attend for the equivalent of 3 class periods per day in one program. Have a good attendance record. It really matters when you come here. We are seeking students who are committed to preparing for a career. Our school days are 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week. Missing one day here is like missing 3 days in a class at their school. The perfect fit at Sno-Isle TECH is a student for whom the school day flies by and they cannot wait to come back. They are passionate about what they are learning and just want more. This happens at Sno-Isle TECH! Consider a plan B program. Sno-Isle TECH is a wonderful opportunity and all our programs offer skills and certifications to give students a head start on their career and/ or college credit. But we do not have space for everyone who applies. Having a plan B or 2nd choice may help you to get into Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center.”
Everyone has hobbies and activities outside of the classroom. You may be surprised to know that Theresa enjoys rowing and traveling. “I compete with the Everett Rowing Association Crew Team and have enjoyed great friendships, travel and wonderful competition in this sport. I also love to read, bicycle and travel. My husband and I traveled to Italy last year (pre-COVID 19) and saw northern Italy via bicycle tour. It has fired up our desire to travel and experience the many beautiful people, countries, cultures and foods of the world.”
If your favorite student has wanted to learn from an exceptional school and explore a potential future career, Sno-Isle TECH has a program exactly what they are looking for. For more information on the programs available at Sno-Isle TECH, or to learn about the staff, visit the Sno-Isle TECH website.
