Riverside Local School District's Career Technical Experience Opens
The Riverside Local School District unveiled its new 4,500 square foot Career Technical Experience (CTX) addition at the Riverside Campus in Painesville Township, Ohio, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening tour. The project was made possible by a $2.5 million grant from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
The new CTX space was created to expand the high school’s existing high-demand programs in health care, advanced manufacturing, and construction to accommodate the increasing popularity among students who sought experience in those industries.
“This much-needed space allows the Riverside Campus to have additional rooms for career technical education and hands-on learning,” said Superintendent Dr. Christopher Rateno at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Riverside is extremely proud to offer several meaningful career electives, where students are able to earn credentials in specific industries, as well as gain valuable experience in a career field of their choice. This addition will significantly help us move student success forward in the years to come.”
Riverside Local School District's Career Technical Experience Opens
Expanding For Now and For Later
“We call it CTX instead of CTE because Dr. Rateno once joked about calling it that,” recalled Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Melissa Mlakar, “I said, Oh no, we’re keeping that. We’re calling it CTX.”
“We’re still evolving, and the space is still growing,” said Dr. Rateno. “The elective programs are filling up three times more than we can offer. We have waitlists, and it’s a good problem to have. It’s really a scheduling and space limitation.”
Along with construction tools like saws, miters, and pneumatic nail guns, the additional modernized spaces and multipurpose rooms provide newer technologies such as a welding simulator, 3D printers, and a CNC plasma cutter. Plans are in motion for the district to partner with a local software company to provide virtual reality tools for the healthcare program.
The construction program offers students a well-rounded “home maintenance” approach so that the skills they learn working with drywall, plumbing, and electrical could be used to prepare for a career or simply benefit them as future homeowners.
“They teach us about equipment and tools and safety,” said Riverside High School senior Willy, “What to wear, hand signals, and knowing what conditions are safe. We’re learning a lot.” He continued, “I’ve been applying for electrical and construction apprenticeships, and this has definitely helped build my confidence in those types of things.”
The healthcare program is operated in partnership with University Hospitals TriPoint Medical Center, where students spend a day in the hospital on a regular rotation to get the full medical experience. The program was so popular that classes have expanded from one in the first year to two sections in the second year.
Riverside Career Technical Experience Grand Opening
Risks Without All the Risks
Dr. Mlaker said, “The catalyst behind starting these programs was looking at all the students who wanted to get career experience and exploration opportunities, but couldn’t because Auburn was already at capacity. We wanted to help these kids make more informed decisions about their career paths. Knowing what you don’t like is just as important as knowing what you do.”
High school sophomore Sophia agreed, “I think the program is a really smart idea because you can see what things are like before you fully commit to it. You’re not taking huge risks.”
“I like how it’s free,” said high school senior Alex, “You get to use your hands a lot, but in a classroom. You can figure out early on just what you want to do before going to do it.”
Dr. Mlaker noted that the approach was intentional from the start, “Whether you want to go to college or not, it sure would be nice to know if healthcare or construction or manufacturing is something you’d like to do.”
The program was designed to introduce students to various technical fields so they could explore potential interests while discovering unknown talents that could shape their career path without the pressure of a multi-year collegiate investment. Knowing what trade most attracts the students, the more confidence they can gain when making future commitments for job placement or further education.
Riverside Career Technical Experience in Use
The CTX Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Tour
Parents, students, staff, and community members explored the new CTX spaces after the ribbon cutting ceremony to experience the open, clean spaces for students to learn about healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and construction.
Dr. Mlaker expressed appreciation for the educators who contribute to making the CTX program an exceptional offering for the students in the Riverside Local School District, “The teachers are the heart of everything. They are taking the programming and just running with it. The kids want to be with them and learn. It’s wonderful to see.”
“With the vision for this space, we went big,” said Dr. Rateno. “We had a supportive board and great partners like TDA and Cleveland Construction, who helped us through the design process and answered the questions we had to make sure the space would fit our needs and grow with us into the future.”
The district explored avenues for expanding its educational career offerings that were already in place with an eye toward future expansion. They continue to develop long-term goals such as opening up the facility for adult use after school hours so that the Riverside Campus can expand opportunities for engagement with the community.
The new Career Technical Experience (CTX) addition at the Riverside Campus will serve the students in the district for decades to come, with the potential to enhance the lives of local residents by facilitating the development of their career-focused skills.
Riverside Career Technical Experience Event & Spaces
Marc Cebrian
Communications
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