Thomas Jefferson

High School | Home of the Spartans

Opening the Doors to Future Spartans

Posted 11/09/2015 by Allison Accola

TJ hosts their annual CCTM open house to welcome eighth graders and their families. 

There are many stressful decisions to be made in the life of a student, and in recent years those decisions have to be made earlier than ever. Students as young as 12 or 13 are expected to make important choices about classes and schools that will lead them into their future. School choice can be a difficult yet exciting part of a student’s life. Certain offerings around the city such as Thomas Jefferson’s Center of Communications Technology Magnet (CCTM) Open House on November 10, 2015 (6:00-8:00 p.m.), aim to make those decisions more informed and less stressful for students and their families. Not only are students under the pressure of choosing wisely, but schools are now faced with marketing more than just their school as a whole, also highlighting independent programs, achievements in sports, and clubs offered.  

The CCT open house will welcome eighth graders and their parents, providing them with a great opportunity to explore TJ’s world of technology and learn more about what is offered. Interested eighth graders and parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the elective program that offers training in five different fields such as Robotics, Web Application, Software Engineering, 3D Animation, and Communications.

For this open house current students in the program are encouraged to come back to school that evening to work on class projects and be ambassadors of the program. Future Spartans will be able to see students working on current projects such as web pages, robots, the daily video announcements, photography, 3-D animations, and game programming. Attendees will not only be able to see what goes on in the classroom, but they will be able to ask questions and learn more about the program from students themselves as well as CCT teachers. By opening up classrooms to visitors, “we can allow future TJ students and parents to not only observe what goes on in our classrooms every day, but also to ask students questions about their projects, classes, and experiences. All the CCTM instructors are also present to answer questions and provide insight into the program.  What better way to have our community really see, hear, and witness first hand what the Center for Communication Technology is all about?” explained CCTM Director Matt Spampinato.

Deciding on a school to attend can be a big and stressful decision students have to face. With so many  options available to students, it can be difficult to decide on which school is best for them. TJ’s CCT open house aims to make the decision process for students easier and more enjoyable. The open house is a great opportunity to explore TJ’s world of technology and learn more about what the CCT program’s offerings; be sure to encourage any potential Spartans to attend!