Frederick, MD (FEBRUARY 23, 2023) – Frederick County Public Schools is excited to host the 31st Annual Career and Tech Fair from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 at Frederick High School. This event is a cornerstone of efforts to highlight Career and Technical Education in FCPS.
This year, FCPS is excited to provide the community an opportunity to learn about CTE throughout the county while cheering on students at the fair taking part in competitions. FCPS Career Coaches from all middle and high schools will be in attendance to showcase CTE student opportunities.
Doors open at 4:45 p.m. March 19 at Frederick High, located at 650 Carroll Parkway in Frederick. Local food trucks will be available for guests to enjoy while they attend the fair. One of our CTE sponsors, Tire World, will be attending and helping promote CTE.
Additionally, high school CTE teachers, partners, and organizations will share details about CTE pathways and extracurricular opportunities, including Future Business Leaders of America, FFA, SkillsUSA, FCPS Robotics Clubs and ACE Mentoring.
Leading up to the Fair during February, designated as National CTE Month, middle school students are expanding their skills and knowledge for the competitions listed below that are tied to their related CTE course curriculum.
Winners of classroom-level competitions are judged to advance to school-level competitions and will go on to represent and compete for their school in the county championships at the Career and Tech Fair.
Middle school student competitors must be pre-registered by their school’s CTE teacher for the following competitions:
All Wound Up: Students from Technology Exposition classes construct rubber-band cars and adjust the specifications to travel the greatest distance.
Energy Bar: Students in Food Science embark on a multi-stage journey where they develop, market, and brand a healthy energy bar using readily available ingredients.
Movie Magic: Students in Computer Science Exploration recreate and animate a scene from a movie or TV show provided by the judges using Scratch.
Design Challenge: 6th and 7th grade Design challenges test a student's abilities to use the Design Process to solve a complex problem.
Games and Animations: Students will be asked to code “something” that builds off the skills they would have used in their CSI class. A game or animation prompt will be provided to students at the competition.
Budget Challenge: Students will complete a 3 month budget simulation using the Personal Finance Lab (60 minutes to complete). This engaging learning experience assesses their financial literacy skills with real-life scenarios and consequences.
Hovercraft: Teams of two 8th grade Pre-Engineering students put their designed and constructed hovercrafts through a timed trial across a specified distance; the fastest hovercraft wins.
Cupcake Wars: Teams of 2-4 eighth-graders from Life Skills in Society compete in a cupcake decorating competition based on a deliciously appealing theme of their choice.
Bridge Challenge: Students will build a bridge using limited materials and supplies to meet the criteria and constraints provided. Bridges will be tested to see how much they can hold.
Students or parents who want to know more about the classroom competitions should reach out to their student’s middle school CTE Teacher.
For more information about the Career and Tech Fair please contact Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Norm McGaughey, or CTE Administrative Secretary, Haley Weldon, at 301-644-5188.