Shaping the Creators of Tomorrow

CTE students gaining hands-on work experience in the community

“I wish I could go back to high school and take a class like this,” said Kim Beier, a local business owner.

Kim was talking about Manteca High School’s Advanced Digital Communication course, taught by Mr. James Burns. In Mr. Burns' classroom, students are gaining real-world experience by working with clients throughout the local community. By running a simulated design agency, Mr. Burns is equipping students with practical skills and industry knowledge that will set them up for success well beyond high school.

The idea came to Mr. Burns last school year when a fellow teacher mentioned that her husband's business was looking for some help with social media and marketing. After hearing this, Burns went into the summer thinking, “How could we give students a taste of what it’s like to be a social media coordinator and learn what it’s like to work with a client.” After some asking around, 10 local businesses were thrilled by the idea of working alongside students.

To get the process started, groups of students were assigned to a client based on their interests and strengths. From there, the students met with their client for an exploratory meeting where they learned all about the business, their brand, and their mission, along with what they would like help with. Afterward, the students worked together to figure out how they can best market their client.

“Not only are they gaining real-world experience, but they’re building professional relationships and connections early on, which is huge,” shared Mr. Burns. Senior Joey House has had the opportunity to work closely with Ms. Kim Beier of Bill & Brim Boutique in Ripon. After a photo shoot at the boutique, Joey and her group created different content, including videos and hashtags, for Ms. Beier to share on her social media pages.

“Being a newer business owner, social media can be daunting. It’s been great having a group of students that can come in and shed light on social media, and create something so awesome,” Ms. Beier stated.

In the Advanced Digital Communications class, students develop valuable skills in multimedia and video production, marketing techniques, and explore the possibilities of a career in the professional world of electronic media. This class is just one example of a career technical education course that MUSD offers so that students can graduate both college and career ready.

This experience has shaped Joey’s future aspirations, giving her a clear vision of what she hopes to do next. She now aims to pursue a career in social media management, and this hands-on experience provided her with a firsthand glimpse of what the daily responsibilities in that role might entail.