O & C Advances to Finals

Wish these kiddos good luck!  They are advancing on to the final round of national competition!!  

Jaden Locke (Ellwood, COT), Felicity Weir (Shenango, HA),
Krista Berkley (Laurel, Cos), Tristyn Gravatt (New Castle, CA), 
Tabatha Zang (Ellwood, VA), Trenton Yale (New Castle, Mas),
and Dayuna Ware (New Castle, HA) -- just after they
heard the great news:  That they are advancing to the final round!

At this moment, they are ranked in the top twelve SkillsUSA Opening and Closing Teams in the nation!

This morning (June 28), they will compete -- for three seniors, for the last time -- with the hopes of bringing home a medal.  Regardless, for the third year in a row, the Opening and Closing Team has advanced to this level of competition making  LCCTC, Lawrence County, and the state of Pennsylvania proud!

The Opening and Closing Team from LCCTC
enjoys a little post-first-round-celebratory
ice cream with Executive Director of
Pennsylvania SkillsUSA, Jeri Widdowson

Medalists will be announced at the Closing Ceremonies on June 29th beginning at 5 PM.  If you are interested in watching the ceremony (and it is rumored that Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs and Somebody's Gotta Do It may be speaking, too!) click here for the LIVE STREAM.

Good luck, 2018 Opening and Closing Team for LCCTC's Chapter of SkillsUSA!

SUCCESS STORY: Samantha Reich: "Putting Her Skills to Work" ~ by Felicity Weir

“I must say, I know this is a success story about a girl from New Castle 

who looked forward to going to school every day 

because it was better than graduating without a skill...”

As a 2012 LCCTC:  Electrical Occupations graduate, Samantha Reich is a prime example of what our students strive for -- success.

Reich attended LCCTC as a first-time non-traditional student in Electrical Occupations. Like many current students, Samantha participated in various activities including Peer Leadership, Student Council, SkillsUSA, and Dual Enrollment. Her fondest memories include: her senior class trip to Cedar Point, making truly amazing friends, receiving the highest score on her senior project, and all of the life lessons given to her by her instructors.

Electrical Occupations instructor, Pete Montini, speaks of Reich in high esteem: “Sam was an excellent student. She did well in theory, excelled in performance." 

Mr. Montini congratulates Samantha
after commencement ceremonies

The education she received at LCCTC made a big impact.  Reich explains how her dual enrollment class helped her learn how to speak to people, and the theory portion of shop made furthering her education easier. She also points out that the ‘hands on’ education taught her how to take something that is drawn on paper and envision what it would look like when it’s built. It is no question that Reich learned to put all of her skills to use.

Montini later goes on to say he was excited to finally have a non-traditional student explaining, "More often than not, I have a bunch of guys in the shop, but adding Sam to the mix was a welcome change. Just as I had come to understand, females may tend to have a much greater eye for detail, and Sam did not disappoint."  

When asked what kind of example Reich set for current students, Montini responded, “Sam set the bar for everyone, male and female, in all trades because she worked hard to get the best education in my field that she could get.  She had the drive, the intelligence, the talent, and the initiative to learn all she could, and she did."

After graduating, Reich attended Youngstown State University, earning her Bachelor’s degree of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering in December of 2017. Mr. Montini explained how Reich had always geared more toward engineering rather than construction, so he catered to her educational needs as best as he could. Reich is currently employed as an Electrical Engineer at C.L. Firestone Inc.

Although co-op programs were available, Reich saw it best to stay in school full time as she took dual enrollment classes and would be learning important skills in her shop during her senior year. Reflecting back on that decision, she elaborates on the idea of wishing she had taken advantage of co-op because, even though she feels her courses taught her a lot, college set her behind on the learning curve as she didn’t get to experience her field on the job site as much.“We live in a world where it is more economical to have a robot do the job of ten humans. So the more people you get to know and the more real-world experience a person has fresh out of high school -- the better the more opportunities they have in the field."

Reich’s advice to current and incoming students is this:  “Show up!  ...And when I say, 'Show up,' I don’t just mean:  'Be present.' I mean participate, ask questions, pay attention, learn something, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and stay humble."

Samantha Reich is the epitome of what it means to be a success; she makes LCCTC proud.

“...however, LCCTC meant much more to me than just and education.  

Every instructor at LCCTC who was part of my journey 

will never know how much they and that school means to me 

and to so many others like me. It was because of that school 

and the people in it that I was able to find 

purpose and reason to change my life for the better. 

I will forever be grateful to those who helped me find myself. 

LCCTC is a success story of its own!” 

~ Samantha Reich, Class of 2012.

2018 / 2019 Calendar

A Special Message of Congratulations ~ by India Cunningham

A message to the class of 2018 from India Cunningham, COT graduating senior:  

I want to congratulate everyone in the Class of 2018.  

We have come a long way, and it was not easy.  I especially want to thank everyone who supported me.   

I mostly want to give you this advice:  Just because the road has potholes, it does not mean you turn around.  You just have to find a way around them.  You can do it as long as you try.l  As long as you try, you cannot fail.  I was told growing up that there is no "I can't."  There is only "I don't want to," to me.  "I can't" does not exist; it's an excuse that people use to get out of things they don't want to do.  

I believe in all of you.  You can do it, so go out and live your lives to the fullest.

Celebrating "May the 4th be with You" Day,
India Cunningham in her R2-D2 dress 
her sister gave her.

"Always Remember": Graduation 2018

From Class President Dylan Janiel's speech:  

This is the year that we all thought would never come, but it has!  We are the 2018 Graduating Class of LCCTC!

We were born into the 9/11 era -- born into a world of the unknown with a lot of uncertainty.  As we grew, technologies continued to boom.  Social media continued to explode.  We saw changing cultures, new rules, regulations and political views that many saw as frightening.  As a group, we've shared good times, bad times, laughs, tears, hopes, and dreams.  Over the years at LCCTC, some of us have thought about dropping out and some did!  To me, the people who fought through those hard times and struggles and are here tonight are the REAL ones: my friends, my classmates, and my fellow graduates.  

Every one of us came from a homeschool to get a leg up on all the other students at that home school.  We chose to come here and were accepted.  LCCTC is unique.  Unlike the students at our homeschools,  we have all learned a valuable trade.  No matter what shop you were in, you learned so many new things about life, yourself, and your future career.  We all have plans for our futures thanks to our school, our teachers, and each other.  Many seniors sit at their graduations and have no idea what they want to do, and I'm sure some regret not coming here.  We graduate tonight knowing what they don't know -- with experience that they don't have.  This is OUR leg-up -- our advantage for going to a career and technical school.  

I challenge you fellow classmates to use this unique education for the rest of your lives and to tell others what LCCTC has meant and done for you.  

We have seniors here tonight who are going into the military, some going on to college and others going into the workforce.  Some of us may stay close to home; some may be moving far away.  No matter where you go or what you do, be grateful for LCCTC and proud of yourself!  

I thank you for the privilege of being your class president, and I wish all of you the best of luck.  

Go get em' CTC Class of 2018!  Be the best you can be!  WOO!

Excerpt quoted from Valedictorian, Megan Walters' speech:  

"If ever we're apart, promise me you'll always remember:  

You're braver than you believe, 

and stronger than you seem, 

and smarter than you think." 

 ~ A. A. Milne, author of Winnie the Poo