Following an all school open house in October, a CCT open house is set for prospective students to attend this Thursday.
Thomas Jefferson High School is once again hosting an open house, specifically for the Center for Communication and Technology (CCT) magnet program, on Thursday, November 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. This is an opportunity for prospective TJ students to learn more about the CCT magnet program and what it offers.
The CCT program is a four-year track that students may take part in beginning their freshman year all the way through their senior year at TJ. It offers training in Robotics, Web Applications, Software Engineering, 3D Design, and Broadcast/Broadband Journalism and Communications.
The introductory level of the program that all CCT students must complete their freshman year is the Intro to CCTM class. In the course, students are exposed to most of the different areas of emphasis: desktop publishing, graphics, 3D animation, web applications, software engineering, and audio and video editing. Freshmen can also take Robotics as a second elective class. As sophomores, students will be able to branch off into two different foundation classes including the above areas of emphasis in addition to the options of Newspaper and Robotics (if the student wants to either begin Robotics or continue to the next level following their first year). For students’ third year in the program, the second level of all of the classes are offered, with Radio and TV Broadcasting as an option as well. In the final year of the program, students will continue on the paths of the current CCT classes they have taken and move onto various capstone classes: Newspaper (CAP), Video Intern (CAP), and various Pathways (CAP) courses.
Some CCT classes offer concurrent enrollment college credit, which is a huge perk of the program. “There are very few high schools in which you can earn college credit for an elective class. This is something that makes CCT unique,” explained CCT department chair and software engineering teacher Stacey Fornstrom. The CCT program offers TJ students a head-start for a career in technology. Graduates of the program have attended various prestigious universities including Colorado School of Mines, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Stanford University, Harvard University and many more. “There’s so much stress going to college, [and] going through the CCT program gave me the credits I need to have a great time and enjoy myself [in] college,” explained senior Tyler Weiskopf.
During the open house, students interested in the program will have the opportunity to meet the CCT teachers and observe current CCT students working on projects; these may include producing the Spartan Edition (TJ’s daily television broadcast show), building robots for an upcoming challenge, or editing photos for a photojournalism project. “[Prospective students] can ask current TJ students questions about the program, what they like about CCT, how they feel that it will benefit them in the future, what their future plans are,” said Fornstrom. Also, as the deadline to apply for the program is January 13, 2017, students and their families will receive more information on the CCT magnet program’s application process.
Click here to RSVP for the November 10th CCT Magnet open house. For more information about TJ’s CCT magnet program, students and parents can visit www.cctmagnet.com or contact CCT department chair Stacey Fornstrom at stacey_fornstrom@dpsk12.org.
