Clifton Community Newsletter

Second and third-year students are practicing their wire feed welding and have also started on some barbecue pits for customers. Projects allow students to apply technical skills while also developing plans and considering costs. First-year students continue to build their shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) skills with different joints (butt weld, T-weld, etc.) and different types of rods.

First-year students are learning all about grains this month, and we've enjoyed sampling all the rice and pasta from their efforts. Second-year students submitted their Travis County Youth Show recipes in January. They earned 3 grand champion ribbons (these recipes went to auction and raised $1300 for the program), 1 reserve champion, 7 blue ribbons, and 3 red ribbons! The students treated themselves to celebration meals with their prize money at Estancia & The Driskill!

Third-year Practicum students earned their Medication Administration Certificates this month to add to their Child Development Associate's portfolios. Second-year students are learning all about positive redirection and guiding behavior in a developmentally-appropriate way. First-year students in Child Development are creating Baby Books to share their learning about pregnancy, birth, and the first year of a child's life.

Practicum students are rotating through different hospital departments at Ascension Seton to get a better sense of life on the hospital floor. PACU and Mother Baby have been very popular, but one student in particular is hooked on imaging after witnessing a thoracentesis to drain fluid from a patient's lungs. First-year students are learning all about safety and infection control. This month, students tested their PPE (personal protective equipment) skills by dressing out for a trauma scenario complete with fake blood.

First-year students have switched focus to event and meeting planning this semester. They are learning about room layouts, decor, and celebrating cultural events within the hospitality field. Second-year students are leaning into professional standards. This month, they focused on conflict management, which is important in any career, but particularly customer service.

It's already time to prepare for our Spring Plant Sale! Students have finished transplanting all flowers and succulents for the sale and will be starting on veggies next week! We hit a few bumps with the early freeze and strong winds in January, which ripped a hole in our greenhouse roof 😭, but we're back on track thanks to some creativity and help from our friends in the Career Tech Education (CTE) Department.

Students are continuing to hone their interview skills and job knowledge, including learning how to dress & present yourself for the job you want. This semester, we are focusing on more individualized tours and job shadowing for students based on their plans after graduation. Students are making connections with salon owners, catering companies, restaurants, plant nurseries, hotel front desks, and more.

New year, new job sites. This semester, in addition to our existing work-based learning partnerships, our students are gaining job experience at Walmart and Ace Hardware. We're also bringing in guest speakers on a range of topics. In the past few weeks our students learned about the trades from a master plumber and picked the brain of a Baylor University Career Counselor.

Each month, we recognize a student from each program for their positive attitudes, work ethic, and contributions to their classes and teams. Congratulations to our first round of Clifton Students of the Month in 2024!