NISD accepted a JET grant during a ceremony at Angelina College. Shown (from left) are Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, CTE teachers Kenneth Negron and Lynette Stephenson, House District 11 State Rep. Travis Clardy, NISD Director of Career & Technical Education Coy Van Valkenburgh, Community Engagement Liaison Erin Windham and Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Academics and Instruction Dr. Daya Hill.
Students work on a mannequin in the ambulance simulation at NHS.
No siren. No wheels. The ambulance simulation in the Malcolm Rector Center for Advanced Careers and Innovation at Nacogdoches High School can’t go anywhere… but it comes with a payoff for Nacogdoches High School students working their way toward an emergency medical technician certification.
The training device – a full-size mockup of the rear of an ambulance – was paid for by a Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant received last year. The $133,270 grant received by NISD is part of $54 million distributed to public schools, community colleges and technical programs to expand opportunities for Texas students to earn a license, certificate or post-secondary degree.
On Wednesday, NISD along with other East Texas public and higher education agencies officially received the JET award from Bryan Daniel, Texas Workforce Commissioner during an announcement ceremony held at Angelina College.
The grant allowed NISD to purchase and install industry-standard equipment for emergency care and services to enhance the simulation in the ambulance.
Other Deep East Texas districts receiving grants on Wednesday included Diboll ISD and Coldspring Oakhurst. Angelina College also received a JET grant.
“This type of partnership is vital for making real-world training available to our students,” said Coy Van Valkenburgh, NISD’s Director of Career & Technical Education. “We were able to look at research provided to us and target what the region desperately needs, and one of those needs is EMTs.”
Completing the EMT courses available at NHS provides students with a certification and moves them that much closer to entering the workforce upon graduation. Or, to move on to college or university with the opportunity to work while completing their degrees.
“I’m so proud of this and the work Ms. Van Valkenburgh has done to obtain the grant and implement it to provide opportunities for our students,” said NISD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo.
House District 11 State Rep. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches was on hand Wednesday for the presentation. Clardy authored the bill in 2015 that established the Jobs and Education for Texans grants.