Students from NCISD middle schools participated in Camp ConneCTED, which explores the different aspects of NCISD’s CTE program.
Last week, New Caney ISD Career and Technology Education hosted the second annual Camp ConneCTED, where students were able to participate in daily activities that focused on different aspects of CTE. Camp ConneCTEd included four full days of learning, where students attended a variety of classes taught by NCISD staff, including agriculture, STEM, education, cosmetology, and more.
“The intent of the camp is to provide new experiences for middle school students while they are exposed to high school CTE programs of study,” CTE Director Brooke Lyles said. “Camp activities and experiences allowed campers to gain knowledge as well as possibly spark a potential future career interest.”
Many of the sessions at Camp ConneCTEd included activities that students would not have had the opportunity to do outside of camp. The “Get a Grip” Orthopedics in Action activity led by NCHS biomedical science teacher Brooke Pendleton was a favorite among incoming White Oak Middle School students, Anna Merritt, Evan Merritt, and Jayden Miller. In the activity, students used string to construct a model of tendons in the hand. They were then able to use the strings to show how the tendons work in the hand.
“Building it was our favorite part,” the group said. “We also liked testing the hand.” 
Another favorite among the campers was fishing in the New Caney High School pond.
“My favorite part of the day has been fishing,” Woodridge Middle School student Emily Needels said. “I’ve never really gotten to go fishing, so it's nice to come fishing with other teenagers. I’m having lots of fun.”
“The camp was an amazing success for the middle school students in attendance, the high school students who led leadership activities, and the CTE teachers who organized and presented camp sessions,” Lyles said.
In the culinary arts session, students honed in on their culinary skills by cooking cinnamon rolls and macaroni and cheese. In other sessions, students assembled wooden birdhouses, used a blacklight to learn about how germs are spread, and built lemonade stands to learn about business.
Students were also able to get hands-on experience in real world scenarios in the cosmetology and architecture sessions. In cosmetology, students painted acrylic nails, braided hair, and permed hair using a mannequin head.
In the architecture session led by PHS architecture teacher Wendy Deras, students participated in real world city planning on a small scale. Each group of campers focused on a different aspect of a city, from government to entertainment, which allowed students to come up with unique ideas for their community.
“I try to get them to think outside their comfort zone and get them thinking about the community,” Deras said. “If this was a real live workshop, we would have different demographic groups participate in planning activities like this.”
Overall, Camp ConneCTEd provided students with an exciting week of learning about the many opportunities available to them through the NCISD CTE program.
“My hope is that Camp ConneCTEd was a fun and engaging experience for all participants, and that students learned about the robust Career and Technical Education programs offered in New Caney ISD,” Lyles said.
View the Camp ConneCTEd photo galleries here! Day 1 AM | Day 1 PM | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
