Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center (Pickaway-Ross CTC) recently celebrated two major milestones with ribbon cuttings for expanded career technical education labs and a new school-based health clinic.
The campus expansion includes new high-bay spaces for commercial carpentry and construction technologies, as well as updated areas for robotics and advanced manufacturing training and veterinary assisting, according to a community announcement. The facilities aim to enhance hands-on learning and align with high-demand career pathways.
The expansion was funded by the State of Ohio’s Career Technical Construction Grant.
“By adding new spaces for commercial carpentry, construction technologies, RAMTEC and veterinary assisting, we now have state-of-the-art facilities that provide students with hands-on training in high-demand fields,” Superintendent Jonathan Davis said in the announcement. “This expansion would not have been possible without support from the state’s Career Technical Construction Grant program.”
Health clinic partnership
The new school-based health clinic was created in partnership with Adena Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Appalachian Children’s Coalition. It provides healthcare services for students and staff while serving as a learning space for healthcare students.
“With more than 800 students and 100 staff members on our main campus, this clinic will help keep our community healthy and allow students to maximize their training,” Davis said. “These partnerships ensure we are exploring every avenue to meet the needs of our students and families.”
Car show sets record
The Fall Car Show & Community Day, held the same weekend, set a new record for participation, featuring 164 cars and bikes, up from 116 entries last year. Families enjoyed bouncy houses, fire trucks, food and ice cream, and an outlaw sprint car, while visitors toured the labs.
“Every year I am blown away at the number of individuals who show up to support our students through the car show,” Davis said. “I am humbled by the alumni who come back to give their time and money and take time to come through our buildings and tell me how Pickaway-Ross CTC was the best decision they ever made educationally. Events like this are the community’s way of showing up for us, just as our students give back through thousands of service hours each year.”
Community engagement
The ribbon cuttings and Community Day reflect Pickaway-Ross’s mission of providing life-changing opportunities and real-world education, according to the announcement.
“With last year’s Community Day and Car Show representing our 50th anniversary, having a ribbon cutting this year with both a new expansion project and a health clinic illustrates our commitment to continued growth,” Jason Vesey, director of secondary education, said. “Community Day allows students, families and alumni to see firsthand the investment being made in the local workforce and experience the full range of opportunities Pickaway-Ross offers.”
The car show supports the school’s SkillsUSA chapter, giving students resources to compete at a higher level while teaching them leadership, teamwork and organizational skills.
This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Pickaway-Ross CTC celebrates growth with ribbon cuttings, car show