OBERLIN — More than 200 students from area schools are embarking on a four-day journey through the labs of the Lorain County Joint Vocational School as part of this year’s ExCEL program.

Any student from 13 affiliated schools entering ninth or 10th grade next school year had the chance to sign up to learn about and participate in programs offered at JVS.

And according to career education coordinator Tina Clark, the program is seeing more students than it has in the past.

“It’s enhanced from past years,” Clark said. “It’s grown. We’re seeing 50 to 60 more students than last year.”

Clark believes one of the reasons for that is because parents are putting more focus on their children’s futures given the state of the economy, but the school also offers different educational aspects than a high school does.

Students can use new welding equipment and high-tech business computers during the ExCEL program, which give students “opportunities some high schools don’t have.”

And with 26 options within seven technical programs offered at JVS, students have plenty of career choices to look into while they are there.

Kyle Osborne, a sophomore from Wellington High School, said that while it is his goal to attend JVS for industrial equipment mechanics, he felt welcome to participate in other programs such as plumbing and pipefitting during the ExCEL program.

“They were very good,” Kyle said of his instructors. “They let you know what the whole thing is about.”
Another student — Emma Northeim, a freshman from Firelands High School — said the program teaches more than just how to do a job.

“It helps you to learn a lot of skills you can use in your life, not just your job,” Emma said.

Their eagerness to learn several different things is something bakery and pastry arts instructor Chris Moore of North Ridgeville said is found in most students who go through the ExCEL program.

“Ninety percent of the time those are the students we have,” Moore said. “The majority are interested in programs and show it.”

Many of the students return to JVS to take a two-year program. Clark said the program has drawn high praise from students in the past, and she doesn’t expect this year to be any different.

Contact Andrew Harner at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.

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