As students exit the bus, they hear many noises –  one very memorable being the sound of cutting wood. Whether that be to simply cut out small pieces for projects, or make jewels such as a cut out of Kentucky, this is ATC, also known as Vocational School. 

According to Carolyn Stewart, principal at the Campbell County Area Technical Center, there are 7 classes they offer in a vocational school.

“We have a partnership with Gateway Community and Technical College.  Our CCATC instructors are also certified to offer dual credit through Gateway.  In most programs, students will earn up to 10 college credit hours throughout the completion of their program” Stewart added

A Highlands student, Junior Guerric Naberhaus along with senior Dana Brown shared their experiences and feelings about their time in Vocational school.

“Vocational school is great, we get into the workshop every day and get hands-on experience.”  

They recently just cut out a wooden plank into the shape of Kentucky. Which involved saws, rulers, pencils, etc. 

Naberhaus is currently in the Carpentry field at ATC. There are many different types of fields to go in at vocational schools such as carpentry, masonry, welding, and many more.

He said, “I am taking carpentry. We primarily create wooden structures and pieces.” 

“We make products for people to buy to support the program, we learn math equations for precise cuts, and we get OSHA training and certificates for our safety,” added Naberhaus.

This year, because of high interest in the program, the numbers in the Auto Body program have increased. 

Senior Dana Brown said, “Currently, there are about 10-12 people but last year it was more than that” 

The cool thing about this experience is they leave depending on their grade level.

“I leave at 11:15 and then I get back at around 2:45, from focus to the end of the day,” Brown said.

ATC school gives big benefits to the students who take the program. 

Naberhaus explained, “It gives me the ability to have excellent jobs right out of high school. I also can have an apprenticeship my senior year.” 

If students are interested in taking vocational school and it is something they want to do in the future, they might be curious about the pay. 

“I think the average pay is around 60k but it all depends on where you’re at and what you are doing,” said Brown.

Not knowing if you want to participate in vocational school is popular among many students. Brown said, “You should, you have a really good time out there, and multiple schools go out there such as Bellevue, Campbell County, Dayton, and Highlands participate in vocational school. You’re able to learn a lot in whichever class you would like to participate in.” 

Hopefully down the road, vocational school is something students are increasingly more interested in after hearing about it. Vocational school is a great program to be part of, as well as a great opportunity in life for most students. 

Naberhaus said, “Vocational school is not in any way easy, you are required to think outside the box and work more definitely than you normally would at traditional schooling.”