CTE April Newsletter
All Things CTE for Montana
COVID-19 Updates from OPI
Region V Conference Postponed
The Region V Conference originally scheduled for April 22-25 has been postponed and will be moved to later this year. The Nevada Planning team is in negotiations currently with the hotel to find an available date. As a registrant, you will be able to receive a refund or have your registration moved to the new date once secured. Region V will send an
e-blast out as soon as a decision is made. Please continue to check the Region V Conference page for updates.
Rapelje Business Students and Teachers Partner with Local Organizations to Create Masks with a 3D Printer
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In the spring of 2019, Rapelji Business Education teacher Jacki Keating invited a couple Rapelje High School graduates, Jason Smith and Weston Downs to come and speak to the students. These two young men had invented a 3D scanner, started a KickStarter account and began making and selling their 3D scanners online. It was at this presentation that Jacki and her colleague, Nikki Markle were inspired to get a couple of 3D printers for the school. With the guidance of Jason and Weston they put together the list of needs. They used Perkins Funds as well as some other funding set aside for technology to purchase the printers and related supplies. In the fall of 2019, Nikki Markle set up the printers in her room so that the students could use them to print parts for their Science Olympiad projects. Some of the students had been exposed to computer programming through Computer Apps the previous year and they were set to learn more about 3D printing.
On March 15, 2020, Governor Steve Bullock ordered schools closed and suddenly teachers and students in Montana were in limbo. Later that week a neurologist in Billings, Montana, released a pattern for a 3D printed N100 mask and asked people to start printing these masks for medical personnel that would soon be running short of PPE. Jacki Keating and Nikki Markle jumped in to see how they could help. Nikki started printing the masks and Jacki started looking for people or organizations that could use our masks. Our first taker was Riverstone Hospice in Billings, Montana. Jacki had a heads up from a local doctor that these nurses were heading into patients homes and were facing a shortage of supplies.
As Nikki continued printing in Rapelje, with the help of Abby Schladweiler, one of our computer savvy National Honor Society students who had jumped at the chance to help out, Jacki worked with the doctor figuring out what sizes should be printed and how to tell what sizes people would need while social distancing. Since we were all in self quarantine, Abby and Nikki in Rapelje, working opposite shifts printing so to minimize contact with each other, Jacki helped out from home and on the phone. We were close to completing the printing for Riverstone Hospice so the next task was to figure out how to personalize the fit of each mask, what could be used as a gasket around the edge, how to attach the gasket and what we could supply to tie the masks on as we were also facing a shortage of elastic.
Jacki took on the task of establishing directions for fitting the mask with a heat gun, found the gasket that could work to seal the mask and what would hold it in place and ways to attach ties to each mask. Videos and pictures were taken so that a YouTube video could be made on how to complete the mask once the mask was printed. Jacki did the video, Nikki put the movie together and uploaded it to YouTube.
Next problem was our supply of filament was dwindling. When Nikki tried to order more on Amazon, we found out that it was considered a non-essential item and we couldn’t get any until late in April. Jacki contacted Jason and Weston and they made a donation of filament that they had on hand and community members and friends started finding filament for us and shipping it to the school.
The Riverstone Hospice masks have been delivered and Jacki will be going to their clinic on Friday, April 3 to help each nurse fit and finish their own mask. Later that day, Nikki and Jacki will be delivering the masks to the local nursing home, Beartooth Manor in Columbus, Montana and showing them how to fit and finish their masks. We have a few more clinics lined up that are hoping for masks.
Since the beginning we have made some adjustments to streamline the printing and finishing process. Nikki and Abby each have a printer at their house so they can print faster. A third printer has been ordered so that Jacki will also be able to print from home. Jacki is staying in contact with the people getting masks and making sure that they have the needed supplies to finish the masks when they are delivered and that they have ordered the necessary filters as well as keeping a list of people that are hoping for a mask.
Looking for Career Exploration resources for students? Montana Career Lab has you covered!
Hello Educators/Parents! Montana Career Lab has career education resources you can use with your K-12 students. Some of these are online and others are PDFs that can be printed out. Visit http://lmi.mt.gov/career to access our resources and be sure to view the video tour of our site.
- Click on video to learn about our site
- Click on learning games to see video games on careers
- Click the “MCIS Tool Kit” for instructional videos and other resources to help you use MCIS
- Click the “Daily Activities” button for daily activities on our Facebook page
- To Order material: https://lmi.mt.gov/Publications/PublicationOrders
MCIS has curriculum plans for nine different areas of study, including career and technical education. This curriculum includes grade-appropriate activities for 8th through 12th graders, and step-by-step instructions on how to implement them in the classroom. Links to the curriculum plans are included below.
You can also access these curriculum in MCIS by logging in to your admin or staff account. If you do not have an account, or can’t remember your login credentials, please contact:
The Future of Agriculture is More Important Than Ever
The recent weeks have brought a number of challenges that have touched the lives of every one of us. We've had another consistent component of our daily lives to provide some stability – our food supply chain in the U.S. continues to be safe and reliable. Most people don’t give a lot of thought to how food makes it to our tables. But each of us should understand the impact of the 2 percent of the U.S. population who grows the food that feeds us all.
Ag Day commemorates the contributions of agriculture in our everyday lives. Through FFA, members learn to steward the land and the resources we all rely on for healthy, reliable food sources. Thanks to your support, the Montana FFA is creating the caretakers of agriculture and leaders to step up during uncertain times.
In the classroom, FFA members consider and debate complex issues facing the agricultural community. They’re taught to share their ideas and opinions in a respectful way that can be heard, and they’re given the tools and confidence to discuss the ideas with decision-makers at all levels.
Outside the classroom, our students actively take part in the agricultural community through their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE). At this very moment, our members continue to be engaged in their learning as they conduct these work-based learning programs.
The responsibility to understand and advocate for agriculture lies with each of us - that is obvious now more than ever. Your support of FFA helps grow a healthy respect for agriculture in future generations that goes beyond the classroom and into communities across the country.
Learn more about how Montana FFA supports the next generation of leaders who will address complex challenges at Montana FFA
Cascade Agriculture Education Program
Makes The Best of a Bad Situation
Eric and Roberta Tilleman made the best of a bad situation. With the MT FFA State Convention canceled many of the supplies for competitions were already ordered. They decided to donate masks and gloves and use the flowers for the Floriculture competition to make 200 mini bouquets. They then delivered them to the senior care centers for distribution.
Thank you for delivering smiles to your communities! Eric Tilleman is the agricultural education teacher and FFA Advisor at Cascade High School.
Montana FFA State Officers Reflect Back
and Look Ahead With Hope
With the world in the throes of so much negativity, it can be difficult to look towards the future when the present itself is so worrisome. Thankfully for agriculture, leadership organizations like the FFA have bolstered confidence for the industry’s future as young people involved in the organization gain poise, professionalism and an appreciation for our nation’s food source.
For the Montana State FFA Association, March was a hard month. Normally, the organization and the young leaders slated as the group’s state officers are busy planning their yearly state conventions, a traditional gathering of Montana FFA members that has been held for nearly 90 years. The event has continued uninterrupted for all those years, with one exception. In 1945, the Montana FFA State Convention was cancelled due to World War II.
For 2020, the Montana FFA was once again faced with postponing their annual convention. This time it wasn’t a war, but a virus instead. It is times like this, as disappointment ripples through an organization, when leadership becomes a beacon of hope. The 2019-20 Montana FFA state officer team has exemplified these leadership skills as they reflect on their year of service and realize the journey they experienced has been far more impactful than the destination of the Montana FFA State Convention.
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New MT FFA State Officers Announced
Through Virtual Selection Process
 We are so proud to announce the 2020-2021 Montana State FFA Officer Team! Although they will be installed in their specific positions at a later date, we are celebrating their hard work and accomplishments now! They have shown a sense of vision, purpose, resilience, innovation, integrity, authenticity, personality, and dedication. Congratulations!
For questions, please contact:
Shannon Boswell, Agriculture Education & CTE Transition Specialist - 406.444.4451
Renee Erlandsen, Health Sciences Education Specialist - 406.994.6986
Ian Beagles CTE/Perkins Data Control Specialist - 406.444.9019
Mike Houghton, Industrial Technology Specialist - 406.444.4452
Austin Schweitzer, Marketing Program Coordinator - 406.444.2059
Eric Swenson, Business Education Specialist - 406.444.7991
Megan Vincent, Family & Consumer Sciences Education Specialist - 406.444.3599
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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