Career and Technical Education Home
Welcome to the SDOC Career and Technical Education Homepage
Timothy Burdette
Executive Director of Secondary and Post-Secondary Career and Technical Education
CTE celebrates our Teachers of the Year!
Senior Spotlight
Our first “Senior Spotlight” is Yuliana from Gateway HS. Yuliana is a standout senior who has grown her skills year after year through her CTE journey in Business Management and Law with Ms. Alves. She is currently working as a manager at Chick-fil-A, where she earned a promotion this year. She credits her CTE certifications and classroom experiences for helping her step into leadership. Her journey is a strong example of how CTE pathways can translate directly into real-world career advancement and leadership opportunities.
“A big part of my move into management stems from the skills I developed during my CTE program. The certification didn’t just teach me the basics of a trade; it taught me how to manage people and processes. Learning how to organize complex tasks and navigate professional relationships allowed me to step into my new role with tools that set me up for success. It turned my hands-on skills into operational and leadership skills. The certifications I have earned (ESB, PMI, WordPress) have opened opportunities for advancement in my workplace.”
Yuliana, Gateway HS Class of 2026, Business Management and Law Student
Program Spotlight
Our first “Program Spotlight” is Harmony High School’s Engineering Pathways Program taught by Mr. David Douglass. The Engineering Program at Harmony High School is a dynamic, multi-year career pathway that prepares students for future success in engineering and STEM-related fields. One of the most exciting components of this pathway is the Aerospace Engineering course, where students explore concepts ranging from ground-level engineering all the way to deep space applications. A major highlight of the program is the Propulsion Unit, where students use industry-style design software to create, model, and analyze their own rocket systems. Students then collaboratively build, launch, and evaluate their rockets, applying real engineering principles throughout the process. The launch progression begins with smaller A-engine rockets and advances through more powerful C-engine launches. With each flight, students gain deeper understanding of propulsion, design efficiency, stability, and data analysis—learning directly from real testing and iteration. Student engagement during this unit is consistently extremely high. Many students extend their learning beyond the classroom by designing, building, and launching custom rocket systems with the support of Mr. Douglass and parent involvement, further developing their engineering and problem-solving skills. Over the years, this program has helped launch students into successful post-secondary pathways, with several former Aerospace Engineering students continuing their studies at universities such as the University of Central Florida and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in aerospace and engineering fields. The Engineering program at Harmony High School continues to inspire innovation, curiosity, and a passion for exploration—preparing students to reach new heights in their future careers.
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