SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Before a student can choose a path, they have to know it exists.

That’s the idea behind a community outreach effort by South Tahoe High School, bringing all four South Lake Tahoe elementary schools to the high school for tours of its Career and Technical Education program. By the end of next week, every local elementary school will have walked the halls, visited the classrooms, and gotten their hands on what CTE actually looks like up close.

Students toured the 12 CTE pathways currently offered at the high school…. Broadcast Production, Digital Media, Automotive, Tahoe Science, Exercise Science, Culinary, Dental Assisting, Sports Medicine, Digital Photography, Construction, Event Planning, and Resort & Rec Management. Teachers kept it simple: less lecture, more experience. In Culinary, students made handmade whipped cream from scratch. In Construction, they pounded real nails. Sports Medicine had the students doing CPR on mannequins. Exercise Science brought them into the weight room for a mini-workout, and Dental Assisting showed them how a professional tray is set up before a patient ever sits down.

The tours and activities were led by Sports Med students, Leadership students, Viking Ambassadors, and students currently within the CTE pathways. These students are living examples of what a few years inside these programs can produce.

Early exposure like this can make a lasting impression. Planting a seed early in their academic journey can generate a curiosity, an interest, and a direction a child didn’t know they were looking for. When they reach high school, three years later, they are excited about these pathways.

The CTE Program at South Tahoe High is designed to connect students with real careers…. whether that means entering the workforce straight out of high school or carrying those skills into college and beyond. Before a student can choose a path, they have to know it exists. This week, every 5th grader in South Lake Tahoe got one step closer to knowing.

By Erika Mathews, South Tahoe High CTE Specialist