Mission CISD Interim Superintendent, Ms. Cris Valdez, and Career and Technical Education Director, Mr. Sergio Peña were invited to speak at the May Lions Club meeting. Ms. Valdez spoke to the group about making sure all MCISD students were college, career, and military ready by the time they graduate.
“We are assuring that all our students are not only graduating with their high school diplomas but also graduating with a certification, associate’s degree, advanced placement, and/or college hours,” said Ms. Valdez. “In order for us to make sure they are college, career, and military ready our students must graduate with an additional component in addition to their diploma.”
Mr. Peña presented to the audience all the great things happening in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. He informed those in attendance that some students enrolled in the program are earning certifications and/or associate’s degrees before they even graduate from high school and also the large strides students are making in CTE related competitions.
“We had over 200 students advance to State and 24 students qualified for National competition in DECA, BPA, and FBLA,” stated Mr. Peña. “Students participating in our CTE program are graduating with anywhere from 12 to 70 hours of college credit free of any fees or charges. This year alone, we had a total of 68 students obtain certifications through South Texas College in the following areas: Patient Care Assistant, Structured Welding, Diesel Technology, Precision Manufacturing Technology, Architectural Engineering Design, and Multimedia Specialists.”
For more information on the Career Technical Education program, email Mr. Peña at [email protected] or call at (956)323-5508.