Falmouth students showcase expanding CTE pathways including culinary, business and medical assistant programs

Falmouth Public Schools presented a student showcase on CTE (career and technical education) programs during the school committee meeting, highlighting a growing culinary program, business pathway projects and the district’s first cohort in a medical-assistant pathway.

The showcase featured students and instructors from the culinary class and the business and medical-assistant pathways. Janet Rocha, identified as CTE department head, described steady program growth: a restaurant-management course that began with two students and a single folding table has grown to nine students and a daily menu serving breakfast sandwiches, parfaits, pastries and smoothies.

Students said the culinary course teaches food preparation, customer service and business math. “My favorite part is definitely running a paper café every morning and serving everyone,” student Devin said, and fellow student Miriam described learning doughs, breadmaking and pricing smoothies. Instructor Caitlin Hackett described students’ responsibilities expanding into menu planning, pricing, advertising and delivery to faculty and staff.

Students in the business pathway described coursework in entrepreneurship, personal finance and marketing that helped them plan business projects and pitch to real local businesses. Kayla Kelly, a junior, said the classes taught “budgeting, marketing, and how to create a business plan” and inspired her to consider starting a business that bridges interests in health and business.

The medical-assistant pathway launched this year as a paid program open to the public through the U.S. Career Institute but offered to a cohort of Falmouth students at no cost. Student Victoria Thialio said the online, self-paced course runs from junior spring to senior spring and prepares students to sit for the National Health Career Association certified clinical medical assistant exam; successful students are placed in community health-center externships covering specialties such as phlebotomy and dentistry. Students must maintain an 85–90% score to remain in the pathway, Rocha said.

Rocha and others outlined other CTE developments: expanded computer-programming AP access for freshmen, a second greenhouse for food-justice programs built in collaboration with carpentry students, an apple orchard, plans for an aviation maintenance technology partnership with Cape Cod Community College (affected by Federal Aviation Administration changes), and implementation of a Square point-of-sale system for the Clipper Cafe to accept debit cards. Rocha also said the district will pilot an ed-tech platform that connects students with real projects for companies and nonprofits, enabling virtual internships.

School committee members and administrators praised the programs’ growth and noted employer roundtables the CTE team held to align instruction with local workforce needs. The committee discussed outreach to middle-school students so CTE students can share experiences with seventh- and eighth-graders.

The district said it intends to continue expanding pathways, internships and cross-program collaboration and will return with implementation details for projects such as the aviation pathway and the point-of-sale rollout.