Welcome to the Team by Kyle McLaren
With a large staff and teacher presence on campus, there were occasionally opportunities for people to apply for a teaching role. Teachers could leave a strong impact on students, and when mid-year vacancies arise, it can affect some students. “If my favorite teacher left, I would feel a bit sad, but I don’t really get too attached to my teachers,” said sophomore Juliette Contreras. Many interviews occurred throughout February for open spots in the math department, and for paraprofessionals. “I believe it is very important for roles to be filled as teachers are necessary to teach the curriculum and tailor to the class, which subs can’t really do,” Contreras said.
In the CTE department, Building Construction Tech could be making a return for students. “[The role for] construction teacher is currently open for next year, and we recently filled the Cybersecurity program. Both programs are hard to hire for due to the specialized nature and pay disparity between school and industry,” said Mr. John Angove, the CTE (Career and Technical Education) department chair. Course offerings changed every school year depending on conditions on campus. “They look at facilities, student enrollment and what the local student population might benefit from. They also consider whether students might want to transfer out of their area to a specific school that hosts a program,” Mr. Angove said. Although Contreras did not have any CTE courses, she still incorporated multiple electives into her schedule. “I’m in yearbook and theater. Long term, I’m thinking about doing regular sports medicine for my major, but stay in acting and theater for my minor,” said Contreras.
With a number of CTE staff having a broad background in skillsets and certifications, they brought new programs and certifications to their courses. “For the [new] VyStar program, we were very fortunate to have Ms. Denine Chang on staff already that took the role. With her diverse background coupled with her classroom experience and support of VyStar, we anticipate the program to be hugely successful,” Mr. Angove said. CTE programs were sometimes harder to find teachers for, which occasionally causes that program to stop being offered. “Hiring qualified staff is challenging with industry competition. In some CTE fields, properly certified teachers could almost double their salary by leaving the school. This makes it difficult to attract and keep a quality teacher,” said Mr. Angove.
Caption:
Keeping the Class Alive: Sophomore Juliette Contreras looks through Melbourne High’s course offerings to plan her junior year schedule. “For specialty programs, if the teacher left, the program may die or feel different, especially if a teacher has been teaching it for a while,” said Contreras. In previous years, courses such as TV Production and Fashion were offered, but as student interests and staffing needs fluctuated, these programs were absorbed into existing classes, or removed from course offerings.
Photo by Kyle McLaren