As DeSoto ISD continues to fulfill the mission for its students to achieve at their highest levels and the district’s Board goal of increasing the number of students who graduate post-secondary ready, the DeSoto High School Career and Technical Education Department is proud to announce that its students are offering services to the DeSoto ISD staff and community throughout the remainder of the school year.
Specifically, the DeSoto High School senior and junior level students in the Culinary Arts, Digital Communications, Animal Science, and Cosmetology career pathways will offer these services under their skills-based learning programs for a small fee that will go to their program fund to enhance their learning opportunities, purchase materials needed for their specific programs, and possibly for out-of-district student competitions.
The list of services available to the staff and general public includes the following:
Culinary Arts - Catering Services
Students will offer drop-off/delivery meal service, buffet, and full-service corporate-style event catering services.
Business - Printing Services
Students will offer quick printing services for tickets, labels, postcards, and posters.
Animal Science - Pup n’ Wash Services
Students will offer full shampoo baths, nail and paw grooming, oral care, ear cleaning, hair brushing, and haircut services.
Cosmetology - Salon Services
Students will offer Hair, Nail, and Skin services (*public services on set dates only)
DeSoto ISD Career and Technical Education Director Melinda Pugh explained the current and future value of students having this opportunity to serve others while in high school.
“This opportunity allows students to learn the basic skills needed to be successful in their chosen career fields, become fully immersed in their work-based learning experiences, and get the essential hands-on experience specific to their areas,” said Pugh. “In addition to providing the actual service, it allows students to improve their customer service, professionalism, and communication skills. They learn both the technical skills and soft skills that are needed to be successful.”
According to The Learning Pyramid, a study on active learner retention from the National Training Institute in Bethel Maine, learners retain approximately 75% of what they learn when they practice what they learn and 90% of what they learn when they teach someone else or use it immediately. Pugh's thoughts on this real-world learning experience aligned with this report. She also noted the dual impact that it has on increasing student achievement which is a strong focus of the district’s first Board Goal related to post-secondary college, career, and military readiness.
“It will allow students to apply their foundational learning to hands-on experiences, said Pugh. “This will help to increase their knowledge base and hopefully increase the success rates on their industry-based certification exams.”
The current service opportunities are slated to enhance the readiness of nearly 100 DeSoto High School students in these CTE programs.
The community is asked to support and utilize these services and help DeSoto ISD students continue to soar forward.
For more information, please contact the following DHS CTE program leaders:
Nikena Madison - DHS Culinary Arts ([email protected])
Devonta Daniels - DeSoto FFA ([email protected])
Branton Robinson - DHS Business Professionals Training ([email protected])
Kierra Smith - DHS Cosmetology ([email protected])
Melinda Pugh - DeSoto ISD Career and Technical Education ([email protected])
To learn more about the student learning programs offered in DeSoto ISD, please visit www.DeSotoISD.org.