Waldo County Technical Center (WCTC) has just completed its pilot session of Career & Technical Education (CTE) Summer Camp. The camp was held on the WCTC campus the last two weeks of July. About 30 campers participated.  

The camp featured five programs for middle schoolers from Waldo County.

In Fine Woodworking, led by WCTC’s Building Construction instructor Rich Benedict, campers made lamps, cutting boards and frosting knives. 

In Culinary Arts, run by WCTC’s Culinary instructor, Jackie Boulay, campers enjoyed learning to bake many sweet treats, as well as providing snacks and hot meals for all the campers and staff. Malaki Maker, a homeschooled 7th grader from Liberty, thinks he would like to be a chef someday and is considering attending WCTC’s Culinary Arts Program in high school.  

Jeremiah Johnson, WCTC’s IT director and the Computer Careers instructor, ran Computer Applied Engineering, where campers designed and printed 3-D models, programmed and raced robots and flew drones.  

Gilman Russell, who teaches  Auto Collision/Composites at WCTC during the school year, ran  Carbon Fiber Composites. Campers made epoxy mold paper weights and were able to create and paint their own boogie boards.  

In Outdoor Recreation, leaders Nancy Zane and Chris Kein taught campers the art of outdoor cookery, making everything from cinnamon buns to peach upside down cake and pizzas. They also hiked Bald Rock Mountain, went canoeing at Freedom Pond and Lake Megunticook, participated in relay races and learned to start a fire with a flint and steel.

These experiences provided campers with the opportunity to learn more about Career and Technical Education while having summer fun with their peers!