CTE Okeechobee County Schools- Career & Technical Education

06/10/2026

Junior Leaders students were able to visit multiple locations in Okeechobee today.

The visit to the Okeechobee Airport provided an opportunity to hear from staff about their job duties and the many different businesses and occupations that are currently in operation at the Okeechobee Airport.

Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation Okeechobee County Schools Okeechobee County Government

06/09/2026

Okeechobee Junior Leaders Camp session 1 is going strong.

Students in the camp spend time hearing from industry leaders and visiting local businesses and government agencies to learn about various careers and career paths.

On Monday, students travelled to Indian River State College Dixon Hendry Campus to hear from many different speakers. Here students heard from Katelyn Rhoades owner of Enfluence Marketing Studio and Andrea Medellin from Healthy Start about their career paths from graduates of Okeechobee High School to where they are today.

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Ms. Murphy and North Elementary School 5th graders on earning their first Digital Tool in Google Slides.

This is the first year that students at North Elementary were afforded the opportunity to earn a Digital Tool. Media Specialist Ms. Murphy provided the instruction of google slides to students during her time with them.

Seventeen 5th graders earned their Digital Tool by scoring high enough on the certification exam.

04/29/2026

On Tuesday, April 28th, 179 seniors were recognized at OHS for completing a Career & Technical Education program.

Seniors and guests were treated to a pancake and sausage breakfast, compliments of Kiwanis Club of Okeechobee Members of the club cooked the breakfast in the early morning hours and members helped serve the seniors. 🥞🍩🍉

Drinks were donated by Milking R - The Rucks Family and Natalies Juice Company. 🥛🍊

Students heard from Mayor Dowling Watford, School Superintendent Dylan Tedders, IRSC Campus Director Maria Johnson, and Director of Workforce Development for TCBA Jen Williams. All spoke of the tremendous opportunities awaiting for the students.

Students were recognized for successfully completing at least three courses in a CTE program. 23 students completed more than one program. Among the group, 8 of the top 18 students in the class of 2026 are CTE Completers.

The 179 recognized students earned over 280 industry certifications, with one student earning seven and many earning three or more.

Special thanks to HOSA members and Mrs. Skeen for decorating and helping serve the meals, Mr. Szentmaroni for coordinating the food, Mr. Pung and the Journalism students for providing pictures of the event, and the Education Foundation of Okeechobee for helping to pay for the breakfast.

Congratulations to all the Seniors and CTE Instructors for the tremendous accomplishment.

04/15/2026

Two Okeechobee High School Okeechobee Brahman FFA members were selected as Stars of Florida Finalists for 2026.

On April 14, the students presented their work to the state selection committee.

Senior Brady Williamson is a finalist in the Star of Agriscience event and the Star Farmer event. Here he is showing the correct application process to an orange tree to combat greening.

Sophomore Hannah Butler is a finalist in the Star Greenhand Degree event. She is explaining her various farm activities to the committee.

Congratulations to Advisors Megan Williamson and Jared Prescott and to Brady and Hannah. Winners will be announced at the state convention in June.

Williamson Cattle Company Butler Oaks Farm

04/13/2026

CTE Fire program students had a fantastic fire exhibition event this past week.

Lead Instructor Lt Jeremy Morgan organized the event and welcomed the crowd and explained each activity.

Students in the program completed multiple rescue events in competition format. One event involved teams breaching a door and entering the fire tower and rescuing a victim.

The 2nd event was an individual obstacle course that involved carrying hose to the top of the fire tower, hoisting a weighted lift, retrieving a active fire hose, and dragging the fire dummy to finish line.

A large turnout of family and friends of the students were in full attendance to witness the activities. At the end of the event, one of the students earned a full ride scholarship to EMT school and Fire Academy and a job with Okeechobee County Fire Rescue.

PEB Enterprises, LLC FIRESLED

04/08/2026

31 Digital Information Technology students at Okeechobee Freshman Campus recently earned their WordPress Certified Editor industry certification. For most students this is their first industry certification.

The WordPress credential helps students demonstrate practical, job-ready abilities for managing and publishing content on WordPress® sites.

Congratulations Ms. Lopez and the newly certified students.

04/02/2026

The senior students in our Fire Fighting program, led by Lieutenant Morgan, participated in mock interviews. The event gave the students real life practice at interviewing with professionals. 🕴️
The interviewers were Chief of Training Durrance, Fire Chief Hazelief, Chief of Fire Prevention Bourgault and Lieutenant Morgan. 🔥 Okeechobee County Fire Rescue
Students were presented with work scenarios in which they had to respond an appropriate action, choose an important tool used in the fire industry and explain how to and when to use the tool, and were asked to tie a specialty knot. 🚨⚒️
Some quick comments from the students were "I was really nervous before I went in to the interview, but once it started that nervousness went away", "It was a great experience, I think I did well answering the questions", "I forgot to mention another use of the halligan".
These type of activities are an integral part of all of our CTE programs in helping prepare students for the workforce.

03/25/2026

Okeechobee welcomes new CNA's!

Students in Mrs. Skeen's Nursing Assistant program recently sat for the CNA exam. 41 students from the program earned their CNA license. 📣

Certified Nursing Assistants are a vital part of the healthcare system. While they handle many of the physically demanding tasks of patient care, their true value lies in the bridge between the patient and other clinical staff.

CNA's spend the most one-one-one time with patients and are usually the first to notice subtle change in a person's condition. They are often the first to detect changes in mental status, labored breathing, and vital signs before they become emergencies. 🧩

They build trust with patients as they are often tasked with bathing and dressing patients with dignity and combat isolation of long term residents.

They improve organizational efficiency by handling daily living activities and keeping the medical environment organized and supplies stocked. They improve hygiene, mobility, and nutrition which leads to faster discharge rates and reduce readmission rates.

CNA's possess a high degree of emotional intelligence, physical stamina, and specific technical knowledge. 🧠

Congratulations to the students and the instructors, Mrs. Skeen and Mrs. Hornung in preparing these students for the immediate workforce and the gateway to the healthcare industry.

Okeechobee County Schools Okeechobee High School Guidance Department Okeechobee Health Care Facility YMS FFA Chapter