The Cameron County High School will host the second annual regional STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Educators’ Conference on Thursday, June 16th from 8am-4pm and Friday, June 17th from 8:30am-noon. This free conference is intended to highlight the innovation in today’s workplace and stress the importance of teaching students skills relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. This is an effort to prepare all students to be competitive in the workforce and contribute to an ever-advancing technological economy.
 
Local educators of all subjects and grade levels in Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter Counties are encouraged to attend this two-day conference. The keynote presentation will feature Sue Boardman, the Internships and Partnerships Leader at the Downingtown STEM Academy. Sue will present a talk titled, “STEAM: Connecting Education and Business.”
 
Additional conference events for educators include breakout sessions with hands-on STEAM activities that can be used in the classroom, traveling exhibits such as the Mobile Energy Education Training Unit, the Mobile Fab Lab and the PA Wood Mobile, a vendor area, and local business showcases. The first 75 IU9 educators to register and complete the conference will receive a complimentary STEAM kit that will include many of the resources needed to implement the hands-on projects that will be presented throughout this conference. Educators will also receive Act 48 credits for conference participation. 
 
The STEAM conference is being hosted by the Cameron County High School and coordinated by the Community Education Center (CEC) of Elk and Cameron Counties’ DISCOVER Partnership, the Potter County Education Council, Seneca Highlands IU9 and Career and Technology Center and a committee of dedicated educators and administrators from the four county region.  In addition to the CEC and Potter Ed Council, sponsors of the event include Seneca Resources and North Central. For more information or to register for this event, please contact the Potter County Education Council at (814) 545-1333 or visit www.pottercountyedcouncil.org.  
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Second Annual High School Job Fair to be held at SMAHS on April 22nd
 
The Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership has teamed with the five local high schools throughout Elk and Cameron Counties to offer the Second Annual Elk and Cameron Counties High School Job Fair. The job fair will be held on Friday, April 22nd from 8am-11am at the St. Marys Area High School Gymnasium.  This event, held exclusively for local youth, will offer interested high school students from Cameron County, ECC, Johnsonburg, Ridgway and St. Marys Area high schools the opportunity to connect with local employers interested in hiring immediately or in the near future. Students will be looking for a range of employment opportunities including full and part time employment, summer work, and co-op work experiences for next school year. 
Companies in Elk and Cameron Counties with hiring needs are encourage to attend.  This is a great opportunity to fill the employment needs of companies with local, hard-working and dedicated youth. For more information or to register your company, please visit communityedcenter.com/discover-partnership. Registration deadline is Tuesday, April 19th. High school students interested in attending can sign up in their high school guidance offices. 
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Ridgway- Once again, in collaboration with the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership, the RAHS 10th Graders cruised around town to tour local companies and learn about career opportunities in the region. Students began the day at North Central and continued to St. Marys Pressed Metals, the Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center, Ridgmont Personal Care Home of WRC Senior Services, Patalano’s Place, and 97.5 the Hound. Above, students are pictured playing an intense game of “noodle ball” with the residents of Ridgmont and using microscopes to view powdered metal parts. These activities were led by Ridgmont’s Activities Director, Doris Banks, and Jim Aiello of St. Marys Pressed Metals. These are just a few examples of the hands-on experiences that were enjoyed by students throughout the day.
 
This is just one way that RAHS and the CEC are working with local companies to inform students of the career opportunities in the area and supply them with information about the current job market. Monday, April 11th from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the high school auditorium will mark the first annual “Career Slam.” Middle and high school students and parents from the entire region are invited to attend. Educators will discuss the needs in today’s job market, share the truth about college success rates and student loan debt and explore school-to-work and affordable post-secondary education options. Representatives from local companies will be on hand to share information about apprenticeship programs, tuition reimbursement options, student loan forgiveness, on the job training, internships and much more.
 
Ray Kelly, an educator at RAHS and coordinator of the Career Slam, discusses the benefits of experiences like these for all types of students, regardless of their career interests. ““We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that don’t exist.” This quote from Mike Rowe, popular TV host and founder of mikeroweWorks, a foundation that promotes hard work and the skilled trades, sums up the need for our students to explore these topics. By working together with the CEC and local companies to offer experiences like these to students, we can help them to save time and money by making smarter career decisions. In the long run, our community and students will both benefit. We are pleased to invite all middle and high school students and their parents in the area to attend the event on the evening of April 11th. No reservation is necessary, and we even plan to give away a few door prizes.” Jackie Lundy, DISCOVER Partnership Program Manager agrees that this event is beneficial for families, “The time you invest in attending the Career Slam may potentially offer a better return in the future than your college education funds!”
 
To learn more about company tours for students or the Career Slam at RAHS, contact the Community Education Center at cec@communityedcenter.com or (814) 781-3437.

Thanks to the support of the community, the first grade classes at SSMSES enjoyed a field trip to the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center.

First Graders attend Weather Discovery Center
 
The First Graders at South St. Marys Street Elementary School took the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center by “storm” recently when all 95 of them visited on a recent trip to the town known as the “Weather Capital of the World.” The group was the largest that has ever toured the center, and this was the first out of town field trip in the students’ elementary school career.
 
The first grade teachers knew that a trip to the center would be a great way to reinforce the weather unit the students were currently studying in school. However, on the day of the trip, a snowstorm hit the area, school was cancelled and the trip had to be rescheduled. “The students were very disappointed at first when the trip was cancelled, but it turned into a great teachable moment. Students learned about the power of weather, mans’ inability to control it, and the need to use caution in the event of severe weather” explained Mrs. Heather Kocjancic, the first grade teacher who initially came up with the idea of visiting the center.
 
The trip was indeed rescheduled, and students and teachers both agreed that it was worth the wait. The weather center offers hands-on learning activities with unique interactive exhibits. Students were able to create thunderstorms, climb into the power of a tornado, feel the effects of lightning and act as TV weather personalities. “I loved it. I learned how the boom comes from thunder, lightning and wind!” said Alexa Craig, a first grader.
 
Weather concepts weren’t the only important lessons this field trip taught the students. According to Heather Kocjancic, they also learned about generosity. She explained that the class did not initially have the funds necessary to attend the trip to the weather center. “We wanted to go to the weather center, but since this was the first year for the trip, we hadn’t figured it into the budget. The Community Education Center helped us to secure a grant through the weather center for half price admission, and the SSMSES PTO helped my class to organize a letter writing campaign to local companies to raise money for the remaining costs. We received financial support from many local businesses including Comtec Manufacturing, Contact Technologies, GKN, Metco, Northern Tier Settlement Services, Product Assurance, St. Marys Chevy, and St. Marys Insurance. The support was astonishing, and our classes are thankful to these companies for their generosity. We hope to make the trip an annual event, and next year, we intend to plan a way for the students to earn money for the trip while learning business and work skills. It is never too early to start teaching students the importance of hard work.”
 
Visit www.weatherdiscovery.org to learn more about the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center.
 
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“Paul Orr, Vice President of Operations at Keystone Powdered Metal Company, demonstrates how robotics are used in the production process during the Educator in the Workplace Event held at the company recently

St. Marys-
Educators from Elk, Cameron, Potter and McKean Counties recently participated in an “Educator in the Workplace” event at Keystone Powdered Metal Company in St. Marys. Educators toured the facility and worked with Keystone staff and administration throughout the day. Educators were able to learn about the career opportunities at the facility and how what they teach in the classroom is applied on the job. After the experience, educators agreed that they were excited to share what they learned with their students and were impressed with the many career opportunities and economic benefits the company brings to the area. This event was offered in partnership through the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership and the Potter County Education Council’s Business and Education Connect Program. Both programs are aimed at creating an awareness about local opportunities and forming connections between educators and local companies. For more information or to participate in a similar event, contact the CEC at 781-3437 or cec@communityedcenter.com.
 
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​On Tuesday, February 2nd, students interviewed with six different manufacturing companies from the area. The program, called FIT 4 Manufacturing, is designed to give individuals a basic familiarity with the manufacturing industry, its career ladders and to prepare participants for entry level positions.
 
Over the last several weeks, eight individuals have experienced hands-on instruction in manufacturing processes such as grinding, milling, die setting and precision measurement. They have also attended classes on communication skills, powered industrial trucks, career ladders, work ethic, resume writing, and mock interviewing. Almost every student who has completed the FIT 4 programs since 2012 has been offered at least one position as a result of the final interview day. The participating companies on February 2nd included: Elk County Heat Treaters, J.I.T. Tool & Die, Keystone Powdered Metal, Metal Powder Products (MPP), Metaldyne (St Marys), and Metco/Pro-Process. Two of the eight students who participated in this most recent class received jobs prior to the conclusion of the program.
 
The program is coordinated by the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties and the PA CareerLinks® Elk, Clearfield, and McKean Counties and is funded by the North Central Workforce Development Board. For more information, contact the CEC at 781-3437 or the PA CareerLink® at 834-2857. 

New Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania and the Education Consortium of the Upper Allegheny Working on College Plan
 
The Board of Trustees of the Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania (RRC), appointed in December 2014 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, has been making plans and progressing toward the launch of a new and unique college for nine counties in northwest Pennsylvania. The new college will provide affordable, accessible associate degrees, certificates, and training programs for residents of Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren Counties.
 
The Board has taken steps to formally incorporate, establish by-laws, access funding through the Department of Education (PDE), and name the Education Consortium of the Upper Allegheny (ECUA) as the Project Executive. The ECUA will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the Board of Trustees and oversee the development of the operational and financial plans for the new college. “There is a lot of work to be done in the next several months, and we are excited to have the ECUA assisting the Board,” said former state senator and Chair of the RRC Board, Mary Jo White. “There is a clear need for accessible and affordable opportunities for technical training and associate degree programs for the Northwest and North Central regions and the educational opportunities provided by this new college must be aligned to the needs of regional employers,” continued White. The 7,000 square miles the college is charged with serving will present a unique opportunity for the Board to develop innovative delivery methods utilizing existing capacity and infrastructure throughout the region. “We want every community from Erie to Emporium to be able to access education through this new college.”
The Board has targeted the fall of 2017 for enrolling students as it continues to develop the plans for the college, including the search for a President and Chief Financial Officer.
After several years of planning and with the input of educators and industry leaders across the northern tier of Pennsylvania, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Senator Scott Hutchinson (R-21) worked with the House of Representatives, particularly Representatives Martin Causer and Kathy Rapp who introduced legislation which sought to establish this rural community college. With passage of PA 126 of 2014, the Rural, Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania was created and funding was appropriated. Through the ECUA pilot program, designed to test a delivery model and prove the need for such an educational option, and in partnership with Gannon University, ECUA has been providing accessible associate degree programs at community college cost to underserved residents of the region since 2012 and was instrumental in the development of the legislation for the new college. ECUA will continue to provide these affordable associate degrees through Gannon University until the new Rural, Regional College opens. For more information, contact Duane Vicini at 814-757-5731.
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