Perry Central students show workplace skills in CNA rotations, school coffee shop and Habitat house project

Kendall Holtzman, a student in Perry Central's certified nursing assistant (CNA) pathway, said the classes "gave me a look into the health care field in general," and helped her secure direct admission into a local nursing program she named as "UGC." Kendra Bekauskas, a registered nurse and health science teacher, said CNA students complete rotations at long-term care facilities and hospitals to gain clinical experience.

A presenter described a problem-solving class where students create marketable products. "I had a student that created a part for a Tesla Cybertruck," the presenter said, giving an example alongside a student-run all-natural sugar scrub business.

A student speaker described launching a school coffee shop "with a help of a few other students" and said staff and local businesses supported supplies and donations; the coffee shop operates Wednesday and Friday mornings for students. Another staff member described a CTE construction project: the students are building a Habitat modular home in the shop, which will be roughly 95% complete before transport. The speaker said students work about three hours a day on the project and that crews will split the home into two sections and set the pieces on the job-site foundation with a crane for final completion.

Speakers highlighted hands-on learning, local-business partnerships and opportunities for students to test entrepreneurship and trade skills. The remarks were presented as part of school programming; no formal board actions, budget votes or contract awards were recorded in the presentation.