White County High School CTE programs receive grant money

According to Lane Ward, a vice principal and the director of the CTE program at White County High School, upwards of $1 million in grant money has been awarded to the school system for the purpose of improving career and technical education in White County.

“Currently, the Career Technical Education programs of White County Schools are being impacted by a variety of federal and state level grants,” Ward explained. “Review of current White County CTE programs and assessment of local and regional labor and workforce needs led White County School to pursue several projects meant to raise student experiences and meet current industry standards.”

White County is the recipient of the Innovative Schools Model (ISM) Grant, a state funded grant that provides a $1 million award to each high school and a $500,000 award to each middle school spanning a four-year period.

Ward said many of the projects that White County schools are undertaking include the building of a mobile media productions truck, the purchase of a van to transport students to work based learning placements and leadership trainings, the purchase of a bus to transport student groups to CTE related tours and competitions, the purchase of a farming tractor and implements to support the WCHS agriculture program, building and equipping a culinary arts classroom and kitchen in the Career Academy, building a greenhouse on the campus of White County Middle School, renovations to the welding shop, updating lab equipment for the Health Sciences program, and beginning a new cyber security and web design program of study at White County High School.

In addition to the ISM Grant, White County High School was also awarded the Out of School Time Career Pathway Grant (OSTCP) for the purpose of supporting the STEM program over a four-year period. The competitive grant, which was sponsored by the Nashville Technology Council, will provide White County High School with $75,000 annually for a total of $300,000 over the duration of the grant.

“These funds have provided STEM related equipment and a mobile STEM trailer to serve students throughout the county,” Ward explained.

Another competitive grant won by White County, the SPARC Grant (Supporting postsecondary Access in Rural Communities) has funded $95,000 in improvements to the CTE program on the high school’s campus. Funds were used to renovate the WCHS greenhouse, as well as to purchase a ventilation system and Ohms electrical trainers for automotive technology.

“Furthermore, WCHS was awarded Perkins Reserve funds through another competitive grant in the amount of $38,000,” Ward said. “[This grant] enabled the creation of an Early Childhood Education lab and paid for the attainment of industry certification for students in several CTE programs.”

According to Ward, some of the projects that the various grants awarded are funding have already been completed. However, other projects will continue to be developed over the remainder of this school year, with others scheduled for completion by the end of the 2025-26 school year.