Career and Technical Education Academy -

📢👷‍♀️ Celebrating Women in Construction Week! 👷‍♀️📢 Today, we had the incredible opportunity to host hundreds of middle school girls for the Pizza, Pop & Power Tools event! 🎉🔨 8th grade girls from all six SFSD middle schools spent the day getting hands-on experience with power tools, heavy equipment, concrete materials, welding, and more! 💪🔥 This event is all about empowering young women to explore careers in construction and the trades—because the future is built by everyone! 🏗️✨ Huge thanks to all who made this event possible! #PizzaPopPowerTools #GirlsInTrades #WomenInConstruction #BuildingTheFuture #CTE

🐷 PIG-citing News at CTE! 🎉 Penelope Has Made Her Grand Entrance! We are hoping she will bless us here at CTE with some piglets this week! We just learned that this is Penelope’s third litter! 🐽✨ 👶 1st litter: 14 piglets 👶 2nd litter: 6 piglets 👀 This time? Who knows! 💡 A Few Fun Facts About Penelope: 🐷 She is a sow (a female pig that has had piglets before). 🐷 She will have 8-20 piglets (average = 14). 🐷 She will live in the animal room for ~35 days. 🐷 She’ll be grumpy for the first 8ish days (but so far, she’s a sweetie gumdrop 🍬). 🐷 She will be so loved while she’s here! ❤️ 🐷 Yes, she will be stinky. 😂 Stay tuned for baby updates soon! 🍼🐖💖 #PenelopeThePig #PigletWatch #FarmLife #CTEAnimals

Happy Social Worker Week! In the Sioux Falls School District, every student's journey is unique. For many of the kids we serve, our school social workers are there every step of the way! Whether offering a listening ear, connecting families to resources, or advocating for students' well-being, their dedication ignites hope and creates lasting impact in our schools. This year's theme, Unite to Ignite: Celebrating Our Impact, is a perfect reflection of how our social workers bring people together to create brighter futures for students. THANK YOU to our incredible school social workers for your compassion and care!

📸 Huge thanks to General Manager Jim Berman and Dakota News Now for hosting our CTE Media Arts students! 🎬 Your support and hospitality made for an amazing learning experience. 🎥👏 #CTEMediaArts #DakotaNewsNow #FutureCreators #HandsOnLearning

🏡 For Sale: CTE Academy Playhouse! 🏡 Here's your chance to own a one-of-a-kind playhouse built by our Carpentry Department! 🔨 Features: ✅ Complete cedar exterior with pine paneling interior ✅ Two doors, loft, hatch windows, and more! ✅ Unique craftsmanship & character 📏 Measurements: 📐 Height: 11' 9" 📐 Width: 8' 9" 📐 Length: 14' 📐 Interior Space: 60 sq ft + 35 sq ft loft 💰 Asking Price: $3,000 OBO (Shipping not included) Interested? Contact carter.olson@k12.sd.us or the CTE office for questions or to schedule a viewing! #CTEAcademy #CarpentryProject #Handcrafted #PlayhouseForSale #CustomBuild

📢 Exciting News! 🚑🏥 Our Health Careers II students just wrapped up their first week of internships at numerous nursing homes and Avera McKennan Hospital! 🎉 They pushed past those first-day jitters and gained real-world experience in the healthcare field. 💉👩‍⚕️🩺 We’re so proud of their hard work and dedication! #FutureHealthcareHeroes #HealthCareers #HandsOnLearning #Avera #Nursing

🎉 Congrats to Christy Moncur! 🎉 Roosevelt junior & “See the Vision” winner Christy Moncur is seizing every opportunity at CTE! 📚💼 From Baking & Pastries to Finance courses, she’s building a strong foundation for her future. This summer, she’ll take it even further with the Academy of Finance Summer Internship Program! Mrs. Brunken shares, “It’s amazing to see her growth!” Christy’s drive, resilience, and passion will take her far in the financial industry. 👏✨ #SeeTheVision #CTE #FutureFinanceLeader

🎈✈️ Aviation 1 Takes Flight! ✈️🎈 Our Aviation 1 students put their engineering skills to the test with a hot air balloon project! 🔥🎨 They explored air density, how hot air balloons fly, and the science behind lift. Hands-on learning at its best! 🚀 Check out the link below to see their hot air balloons take flight! ⬇️ https://youtu.be/Ub0We-7cVt8 #CTEAviation #HotAirBalloonProject #STEMInAction #FuturePilots

🎉 Student Spotlight: Maia Carl! 🎉 Maia, a Washington High senior, is making waves in accounting! 💼📊 She shares, “It’s easy to be myself at the CTE Academy,” and it shows—her leadership, integrity, and hard work set her apart. Nominated by Mrs. Brunken, Maia is a “See the Vision” award winner! 🏆 “She elevates the entire class’s understanding of accounting concepts,” says her teacher. We can't wait to see where her passion for accounting takes her next! 👏🎓 #CTE #FutureAccountant #SeeTheVision #StudentSpotlight

We are still celebrating last night's wonderful Teacher of the Year event! So many amazing educators to celebrate! Congratulations again to 2025 Teacher of the Year, Bruce Rekstad, who left with a $4,000 check, courtesy of our friends at Vern Eide. Also, a huge congratulations to the other four finalists, Jennifer Aerts, Bryan Aukerman, Scott Amundson, and Jessica Foley. New this year, thanks to the generosity of the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation, these four finalists walked away with $1,000 each. So many wonderful memories were shared last night! We are so grateful to everyone who attended, from nominees and their friends and families to past ToY winners, past educators, school board members, SDEA friends, and SFSD administrators, it truly was an unforgettable night! Were you at the event? Feel free to get your photos here! https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3KKk You can watch the full video of the event here! https://youtu.be/D-60TEv2ijA

🔨 Carpentry Class Update! 🏠 Our students are making incredible progress—it's looking more like a house every day! 👏 Stay tuned as they continue to bring their hard work and skills to life. #CTECarpentry #HandsOnLearning #FutureBuilders

Tonight is the night! The 2025 Teacher of the Year will be announced at an event starting at 7:00 PM. Watch live with us here! ---> https://youtube.com/live/MnFs9wL28Oo?feature=share

🚀 Student Spotlight! 🚀 Matthew Wilkinson, a senior at Brandon Valley High School, thrives on tackling big accounting projects: “It makes me feel like I’m in a real work environment.” 💼📊 His teacher, Mrs. Brunken, praises his strong work ethic & innovative problem-solving. 🏆 No surprise he’s a CTE “See the Vision” award winner! With his sights set on a Business, Accounting & Finance major, Matthew is more than ready for the next level! 👏 #FutureCPA #CTE #StudentSuccess

It’s National FFA Week! 🐓🐥🐐🐰 This special week is all about celebrating agricultural education, and what better way to do that than with hands-on experiences?! On Thursday, our CTE Academy Ag program brought their barnyard (and beyond!) to the hallways, giving fellow CTE students a chance to interact with some of the school’s resident animals. Experiences like these showcase the importance of agricultural education and the impact FFA has on preparing students for careers in animal science, farming, and beyond!

🏠🔨 Carpentry Class Update! 🔥💪 Our Carpentry students have been hard at work, making big progress on the CTE house! 🏗️✨ The changes are coming together fast! Stay tuned for more updates! 🛠️ #CarpentryClass #BuildingTheFuture #CTEHouse

🤖🔥 Welding Meets Innovation! 🔥🤖 Our Welding class has been having a blast showing off the new robot welder to their classmates and the Exploration class! ⚙️💡 With this cutting-edge tech, the welding possibilities are endless! 💪✨ #WeldingTech #RobotWelder #FutureFabricators

🚛🔧 Diesel Power in Action! 💪 Our AutoTech Diesel students worked hard sharing their knowledge & expertise with the Career Exploration class! They even got hands-on experience taking apart diesel engines! Learning, teaching, and turning wrenches! #DieselTech #CareerExploration

👮‍♂️💙 SRO Appreciation Day! 💙👮‍♀️ This past weekend, we celebrated SRO Appreciation Day! 🎉 A huge thank you to our School Resource Officers for keeping our schools safe and supporting our students every day. When you see your SRO today, don’t forget to give them a fist bump, high five, or a big thank you! 🙌 #SROAppreciationDay #ThankYouSROs #KeepingSchoolsSafe

🩺🍽️ Health Careers II in Action! 👩‍⚕️🏥 Our students have been working so hard mastering their CNA skills, and they’re nearing the finish line! They can now assist with feeding residents and are gaining real-world experience in patient care! 🥣💙 #HealthCareers #FutureHeroes

📢 Reminder! There will be NO SCHOOL TOMORROW (Monday, February 17th) and Tuesday, February 18th for Presidents Day break! 🇺🇸🎉 Enjoy the break, and we’ll see you back in class on Wednesday, February 19th! 🙌 #PresidentsDayBreak #NoSchoolReminder #CTEAcademy #EnjoyYourBreak