MEMBER DISTRICTS

AlWood School District 225

Annawan School District 226

Black Hawk College District 503

Bradford School District 1

Cambridge School District 227

Carbon Cliff-Barstow School District 36

Colona School District 190

East Moline School District 37

Galva School District 224

Geneseo School District 228

Hampton School District 29

Kewanee School District 229

Mercer County School District 404

Moline School District 40

Neponset School District 307

Orion School District 223

Riverdale School District 100

Rock Island School District 41

Rockridge School District 300

Sherrard School District 200

Silvis School District 34

Stark County School District 100

United Township School District 30

Wethersfield School District 230

Published quarterly by Quad City Career

and Technical Education Consortium

1275 Avenue of the Cities

East Moline, IL 61244

1

This publication was prepared pursuant to a grant with funding partially through the

Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.

The Quad City Career and Technical

Education Consortium does not discriminate against any student/

employee by reason of gender, religion, race, creed, age, color, disability or

national origin.

APRIL 2015

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

System Staff

Larry Shimmin Quad City System Director

(309) 752-1691 lshimmin@uths.net

Deb Holmes Special Projects Coordinator

(309) 752-1697 dholmes@uths.net

Susan Newton, Editor (309) 752-1623

snewton@uths.net

news QCC TEC Get Connected to the Transition Resources

In Your Community

T he Youth Transition Fair will

be held during the evening

hours on Thursday, May 7

from 4-7 p.m. at Black Hawk

College, Building 3, Moline, Illinois.

This special event is for students

in grades 7-12, parents, and teachers.

Counties served include: Bureau,

Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, and

Stark.

Over 50 agencies have been

invited and will set up in the

gymnasium to answer questions from

special populations students and their

families about:

Assistive Technology

Career Information

Child Care

Community Skill and Work

Instruction

Disabilities

Education

Emergency Assistance

Health Care

Housing

Independent Living

Legal Assistance

Mental Health

Transition

Transportation, and more!

This is a joint effort to

introduce the region’s special

education students, grades 7-12 to

the various available community

assistance programs and help them

with a variety of transition

experiences.

Table display space will be

provided free of charge for

representatives to meet, talk, and

hand out information about their

services.

“After high school, who will

help me achieve my goals? Where

will I live? How will I get the

training I need?” These are some of

the questions that students and their

families can get answered as they

browse from table to table.

There is no registration

required for students and their

families.

The event is sponsored by

Black Hawk College and Quad City

(Tri-County) Transition Planning

Committee.

If you would like to promote

your services at the fair or just need

more information, contact Deb

Holmes at (309) 752-1697.

2

APRIL 2015

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

April 8-10 Black Hawk College North American Colleges &

Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Conference, iWireless

Center, Moline, IL April 10 Health Care Program Careers Exploration, Black Hawk

College, Moline, IL April 10 Illinois School Counselor Association Annual Conference,

Northfield Inn & Suites, Springfield, IL April 17 STEM Camp for Girls, Black Hawk College East Campus,

Galva, IL April 18 “Ready to Learn” Early Childhood Conference, Western

Illinois University-Riverfront Campus, Moline, IL April 22 Career Fair for Persons with Disabilities, iWireless Center

Moline, IL April 23 8th Annual Illinois School Wellness Conference, Hilton

Garden Inn, Champaign, IL April 23-24 Build Your Own 3D Printer Workshop, Bloomington, IL April 25 Black Hawk College Quad Cities Campus Open House,

Moline, IL April 27 Regional Family & Consumer Science (FACS) Workshop,

UT Area Career Center, East Moline, IL April 28 LEGO Workshop for Elementary Teachers, Western

Illinois University-Riverfront Campus, Moline, IL May 5 National Teachers Day May 7 Transition Planning Committee’s Community Agency

Fair, Building 3, Black Hawk College, Moline, IL May 7 Tech 2015 Student Showcase, Capitol Building, Spring-

field, IL May 8 Counselor Academy #4, Short Hills Country Club, East

Moline, IL June 12-14 Abilities Expo, Renaissance Schaumburg Convention

Center, Chicago, IL July 28-29 Beginning Teacher STEM Conference, I Hotel and

Conference Center, Champaign, IL Aug. 11-13 Distance Teaching & Learning Annual Conference,

Monona Terrace, Madison, WI Oct. 1-3 Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria Civic Center

& Marriott Pere Marquette Hotel, Peoria, IL

Students Participate In Collective

Bargaining Conference

O n February 26, students in

Co-op classes at United

Township High School

participated in the American

Collective Bargaining Conference at

Butterworth Center, Moline, Illinois.

Students were assigned to a

bargaining team either as

representatives of management or

labor. They were asked to draft

bargaining proposals that were

presented to the opposite team. From

these proposals, both teams attempted

to negotiate a contract by the end of

the day. The responsibility of

negotiating remained with the

students but advisors were available

to assist and guide the team through

the process. The advisors were

Federal Mediation and Conciliation

Services (FMCS) Commissioners.

The Commissioners were available to

mediate and to provide assistance on

difficult issues.

Before attending the conference,

students were prepared with a study

guide of background information,

possible bargaining topics, and a

glossary of common terms.

The event was sponsored by the

Quad-City Area Labor Management

Council (QCALM) and Quad City

Career & Technical Education

Consortium (QCC TEC).

April is a promise

That May is

bound to keep.

- Hal Borland

APRIL 2015

3

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

Job Fair to be Held for Persons

With Disabilities

Rock Island County Coroner Discusses Duties with Area Career Center Students

B rian Gustafson, Rock Island

County Coroner, talked to

students at United Township

Area Career Center on Feb. 18th

about the duties of the Coroner’s

office. Students listening to his

presentation were in Law

Enforcement and Public Safety II and

Extended Campus Health

Occupations I classes.

The Coroner’s office is

responsible for determining the

manner and the cause of death in all

cases of homicide, suicide, or

accident, and in all cases where there

was no recent attending physician, or

where circumstances surrounding the

death are obscure or mysterious.

Inquests may be conducted for those

deaths determined to be other than

natural or deaths that are suspicious

in nature.

The responsibilities of the

Coroner are to see that the proper,

scientific studies are performed.

These include autopsy, toxicology,

microscopic slide examination,

bacteriology, X-rays, and more.

The Coroner’s jurisdiction is

determined by where a death actually

occurs, not where a particular

incident/accident happened that

might cause the death. An incident

may occur in one county, but if the

victim is transported to a facility in

another county and pronounced

deceased, the jurisdiction lies where

the actual death occurs.

Mr. Gustafson showed a

slideshow entitled, “Victim Impact

Program - The Coroner’s Perspect-

ive.” Photos depicted fatalities

involving cars, trucks, and

motorcycles on local streets and

highways. These photos were very

sobering and graphic. Many of the

accident fatalities were the result of

high speed, alcohol impairment, and

lack of seatbelts and helmets.

“The hardest thing about my

job is what I’m going to tell

somebody that will ruin and change

their life,” Mr. Gustafson said

referring to informing the next of

kin about a fatality. He also showed

a short video involving a police

chase that started in Colona, Illinois

continued on Wolf Road, and onto

Interstate I-80E resulting in the

crash and fatality of the driver.

Mr. Gustafson stressed the

importance of doing a job that you

like. “I have the best job in the

world,” said Mr. Gustafson. “I use

my nursing skills every day. Do a

job that you love. If you don’t love

it, try something else,” he also

added.

The above picture shows Brian

Gustafson, Rock Island County

Coroner speaking to Area Career

Center students enrolled in law

enforcement and nursing classes

about his duties.

T he Rock Island Department

of Human Services will host

a Job Fair for Persons with

Disabilities on Wednesday, April 22.

The event will be held from 10 a.m.

to 1:00 p.m. at the iWireless Center

in Moline, Illinois.

B lack Hawk College is hosting

a STEM (Science,

Technology, Engineering,

and Math) Camp for Girls. The

STEM Camp’s theme is “Girls of

Today - Women of Tomorrow.”

The camp will be held at Black

Hawk College East Campus, Galva,

Illinois on April 17-18 starting at

5:30 p.m. with the girls staying

overnight, and ending the next

morning at 8:30 a.m.

This is an opportunity for girls

in grades 8-12 to experience a fun

filled overnight science adventure.

They will study the stars, learn about

computers, weld and solder, and

much more. The cost is $25 that

includes dinner, snacks, breakfast

and supplies. There is a limited

number of scholarships available for

applicants with a financial need.

Girls are encouraged to apply

early as space is limited to 40

participants. Registration deadline is

Friday, April 10.

For more information, please

contact Jen Holldorf at (309) 796-

5133 or holldorfj@bhc.edu.

Black Hawk College Offers STEM Camp

For Girls

4

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM APRIL 2015

C ounselor Academy #3 was

held on February 13th at

Western Illinois University,

Riverfront Campus, Moline, Illinois.

The first presenter at this

February’s Counselor Academy was

Emily Gordon, Director at Rick’s

House of Hope. Mrs. Gordon’s

professional knowledge on the topic

of grief and loss is impressive. She

has the ability to quickly take

disparate stories of grief and loss, tie

them together in a web, and create an

understanding that grief and loss is

fundamentally tied to the human

condition. I found her tips and

resources in this area to be very

useful and have integrated them into

my own portfolio. Rick’s House of

Hope offers groups and camps for

free or a nominal fee at their

Davenport location. If you are

working in the Quad-Cities area and

Rick’s House of Hope is not already

in your list of community

resources…ADD IT!

Dr. Holly Nikels and Mr.

Matt Beck presented at the counselor

academy on the topic of Licensed

Professional Counselor (LCP) and

Licensed Clinical Professional

Counselor (LCPC) licensure in the

state of Illinois. The process can

seem complicated so the additional

information on the topic was

certainly helpful. Mr. Beck gave his

perspective on the topic as someone

who has recently completed the

process. Dr. Nikels outlined the nuts

and bolts of the process and raised

the question of where the profession

of school counseling is headed. As

competition for school counseling

jobs is encroached upon by the

professions of psychology and social

work, the question of how we hold a

competitive edge must be

considered. As an emerging school

counselor it certainly brings to light

the importance of advocating for the

profession.

The last presenter of the day

was Ms. Ikponwonsa Oriaikhi from

the Quad-Cities Alliance for

Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR).

Her personal story of transformation

from immigrant to citizen to a

professional working in the service

of immigrants was truly eye

opening. The need for services for

immigrants and refugees in the

Quad-Cities area seems to have

outpaced the availability of

resources for those groups of

individuals. However, having an

organization such as QCAIR

working to educate the public about

this need and offering help to these

groups of individuals is certainly a

promising start to a brighter future

in this area. The take away for me

from this presentation was that, as

for now, the school counselor is

going to have to be skilled at

piecing together resources for

immigrant and refugee students and

families in need.

Counselor Academy #3 Addresses Grief, Immigrants, and Licensure

Article submitted by Aaron Blome, School Counselor Intern

“The only way to do

great work is to love

what you do.

If you haven’t found

it yet, keep looking.”

- Steve Jobs

High School Students to Explore Health

Care Careers at Exploration Event

O n Friday, April 10,

approximately 80 students

from the UT Area Career

Center, Geneseo High School, and

Rock Island High School, will attend

the Health Care Program Career

Exploration Event at Black Hawk

College, Moline, Illinois. These

students are enrolled in the Certified

Nursing Assistant dual credit classes

at their schools.

Prior to the event, students will

select four programs to visit that

they are interested in such as:

Massage Therapy, Nursing, Physical

Therapist Assistant, Emergency

Medical Services-Paramedic, and

Health Information Management.

Students will be welcomed by

Christine Adell, CTE Transition

Coordinator at BHC who will

instruct students to fill out a survey

rating their knowledge of the career

programs before and after the event.

After lunch, students will be

taken on a brief tour of the college

campus.

This is a great opportunity to

visit Black Hawk College’s campus

and get a first-hand view of their

health care programs. Students will

meet the instructors, learn about the

programs, and ask any questions

they might have.

For more information, contact

Chris Adell at adellc@bhc.edu or

phone 309-796-5160.

5

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM APRIL 2015

Congratulations to Our Retirees!

T his is Nancy Humphrey’s last

school year serving as

Paraprofessional and

Regional Consultant at the Area

Career Center and working with QCC

TEC SIS/CTE contacts.

“It’s official,” said Ms.

Humphrey. “I want to thank all the

schools for providing desired SIS/

CTE information when requested. I

also enjoyed working with the staff

and students at UT Area Career

Center. Best wishes to all the

wonderful people who made my job a

lot easier and enjoyable,” she also

added.

Nancy’s future plans include:

traveling on bus trips, enjoying the

grandsons, more family time, and

reading. Nancy also plans to continue

as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels

and volunteer at many running race

events in the Quad Cities.

Nancy Humphrey

QCC TEC Paraprofessional

Susan Newton

QCC TEC Paraprofessional and

Newsletter Editor

A fter 24-years in education,

Susan Newton is retiring at

the end of the 2014-15

school year.

Susan started working as a

paraprofessional for QCC TEC in

1991. She assisted in various class-

rooms over the years including:

Machine Trades, Electronics, Basic

Home Repair, Communication &

Production Technology, Keyboard-

ing, Foods, Extended Campus

Health Occupations I & II, and

Graphic Arts. She became the Edi-

tor of the QCC TEC newsletter in

1995. Susan was also instrumental

with helping the region with

activities and publications such as:

Community Agency Fair, JA Ca-

reer Day, Construction Industry

Career Expo, Eighth Grade

Booklet, Study Guides, Develop-

mental Education Curriculum, and

Individualized Career Planning

folders along with putting together

the quarterly newsletter.

“I have truly enjoyed working

for the Region and will miss all of

you,” said Ms. Newton.

We wish Susan the best in her

upcoming adventures!

G etting prepared to enter the

healthcare work force, the

Extended Campus Health

Occupations I (ECHO) students at the

Area Career Center have a busy

spring planned. An important and

often nerve racking event is preparing

to take the Certified Nursing

Assistant Competency Exam in mid-

May. Those who pass the test

become part of the Illinois Nurse

Aide Registry and can work as

C.N.A.s in a wide variety of facilities

Besides testing, these students

will be busy preparing resumes and

portfolios in order to participate in

the annual job and education fair at

the ACC. On the afternoon of May 7,

representatives from both health care

providers and post-secondary

educational institutions will gather to

talk with the ECHO students and set

up interviews.

The job fair is quickly followed

by the annual graduation ceremony

from the nursing assistant program.

After a rigorous year of both

classroom work and clinical

rotations, family and friends will join

the students to celebrate their

achievement. Following the

ceremony, a reception and poster

forum of the students’ disease

research project will be held.

Armed with their new

certification and the knowledge they

have gained this year, the ACC

students will be a welcome addition

to the healthcare community.

ECHO Students Have Busy Spring

Article submitted by Denise Eilers, Extended Campus Health Occupations

Instructor

QUAD CITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

6

APRIL 2015

QUAD CITY CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION CONSORTIUM 1275 AVENUE OF THE CITIES EAST MOLINE IL 61244 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

EAST MOLINE IL PERMIT NO. 72

Build Your Own 3D Printer Workshop Offered

P articipants will learn the

fundamental skills of

learning how to build their

own 3D printers based on the open

source 3D printer platform at a

workshop to be held on April 23 &

24 in Bloomington, Illinois.

The two-day workshop

provides a more intermediate, yet

thorough experience for those who

wish to expand their knowledge and

understanding of 3D printing

technology. Both workshops greatly

expedite the learning process in

order to integrate 3D printing into

current occupational activities.

Participants will learn how to build

the “flexMendel” 3D printer, which

is one of the most advanced 3D

printers in the open source

The above photo shows the

flexMendel 3D printer specifically

designed to be used in educational

environments.

community. This 3D printer comes

loaded with advanced features that

are rarely found on commercial 3D

printers. The mechanical design of

the flexMendel allows users to

make a variety of calibration

adjustments while it is printing.

The workshop will be held at

Open Source Classroom, LLC in

Bloomington, Illinois.

For more information, contact

Larry Shimmin at (309) 752-1691

or Deb Holmes (309) 752-1697 or

dholmes@uths.net.