Fall 2010 Awards Day

The Fall Trimester at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie ended with Awards Day on December 16th. The ceremony, organized and sponsored by the campus-wide Student Senate, was held at the McKenzie Cumberland Presbyterian Church and led by the Center’s director Dr. Brad White.

A total of 67 students received their diplomas or final certificates and numerous others were recognized for completing certificate levels during the Fall 2010 Trimester. Also recognized during the ceremony were students who were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society, and students who attained Perfect Attendance.

The students who completed requirements for graduation are: Automotive Technology- Candace Whitt, Corey Nooner, Michael Scott; Bio-Medical- Thomas Belew, David McIntosh, Robert Hooper, Steven Newman, William Riley, Monty McCartney, Justin Pierpoint; Business Systems McKenzie- Jane Dublin, Kimberly Johnson, Shantell Milton, Denise English, Debbie Keylon, Barbara Stegall, Sandra Williams, Evea Holt, Michelle Knight, Alta Tate; Business Systems Weakley County- Pamela Clark, Linda Pogue, Donna Eaves, Jamie Holloman, Loretta Stoops; Green Electronics- Steven Crawford, Lynn Martin, Robert Forbus, Roger Hanks, Kristopher Simpson; HVAC/Refrigeration- Richard Allen, William Pennington, Justin Savage; Industrial Maintenance McKenzie- James Batten, David Boyd, William T. Brown, David Goodrum, Ethan Lee, Larry Martin, Troy Rutowski, Gene T. Weathers; Industrial Maintenance Weakley County- Hasan Ansari, Matthew Chapman, James Dowden, Steven Lassiter, Michael Markle, Kevin Webb, Shawn Whitehead; Practical Nursing- Christie Brown, Susan Butler, Dawanda Graves, Varleria Hampton, Lucreshia Hampton, Kelsey Johnson, Melissa Jones, Jennifer King, Lee Ann Long, Jessica McMackin, Kristen Robbins, Sherwood Tackett Jr., Ashley Thomas, Carol Tucker, Sheila Vermillion, Toni Yoder; Welding- Clayton Craddock, Joseph T. Hooper, Robert Reed.

Eleven students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. Honor Society inductees include Michael Scott, Kimberly Marr, Doris Berryhill, Jamie Holloman, Howard Webber, Dawanda Graves, Melissa Jones, Jennifer King, Lee Ann Long, Sheila Vermillion, and Farris Bartholomew.

Fifteen students were recognized for achieving perfect attendance during the previous Summer Trimester. Those receiving Perfect Attendance certificates were Brent Gordon, Kenneth Koontz, Barbara Stegall, Russell Horn, Dixie Timmons, Bradley Stafford, Brian Cruse, Andrew Stockdale, Richard Wright, Michael Warren, Josh Murray, Steven Lassiter, Jace Porter, Sheila Vermillion, Toni Yoder.

Halloween 2010

Coat Drive

The McKenzie Technology Center Student Senate hosted a new and used coat drive for the upcoming winter months. Over 140 new and used coats were donated to the United Neighbors of Carroll County program to be given to residents in the area. “The coat drive idea came from our students wanting to make sure that area residents had adequate clothing for the winter” said Student Senate President Debbie Keylon, student at the McKenzie Technology Center. The coat drive is just one of the many charitable programs the Student Senate hosts throughout the year.

Dailey Named Outstanding Student of the Year

The Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie presents Mr. TJ Dailey with the 2010 Outstanding Student of the Year Award. Mr. Dailey is a Green Electronics student from McKenzie, TN whom has been in the program for over a year and holds many qualities of a Student of the Year. He also won a Silver Medal in Electronics Technology at the State Skills USA contest in the spring of 2010. A cash prize and trip to Nashville were given to Mr. Dailey for his accomplishments on the local level. Mr. Dailey will now go on to represent TTC McKenzie at the Regional Competition in Jackson, TN in January 2011. The winner of the Regional Competition will move on to the Statewide Competition where the winner will be awarded a new automobile and will represent all 27 Tennessee Technology Centers as the Outstanding Student Ambassador for Technical Education.

Summer Awards Day 2010

The Summer Trimester at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie ended with Awards Day on August 26th. The ceremony, organized and sponsored by the campus-wide Student Senate, was held at the McKenzie Cumberland Presbyterian Church and led by the Center’s director Dr. Brad White.

A total of 60 students received there diplomas or final certificates and numerous others were recognized for completing certificate levels during the summer 2010 Trimester. Also recognized during the ceremony were students who were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society, and students who attained Perfect Attendance. Students who obtained the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge were also recognized by State Representative Curtis Halford.

The students who completed requirements for graduation are: Automotive Technology-Joseph Cole, William Wright, Andrae Jordan; Bio-Medical-Michael Bell, Thomas Malone, Patrick DeMonia, Michael Irby, Donna Sanders; Business Systems McKenzie-Virginia Dean, Lesia Gilbert, Chris Smith, Guillermina Zargoza; Business Systems Martin-Carol Dunivant, Petrina Mansfield, DixieTimmons; Computer Information- James Cooper, Sherrus Cooper, Graham Vickers; Electronics- Jeffery Vermillion, Brian Bates, Nicholas Castleman; HVAC/Refrigeration- Bobby Moore, Michael Hairrell, Charles Maness, Kenneth Pollworth; Industrial Maintenance McKenzie- Steven Roberts, Robert Ridings, Gregory Hardin, Nathan Todd, Osker Seiber, Luis Gonzalez; Industrial Maintenance Martin- Teresa Cunningham, Terry Dunn, Rose Pettie, Josh Murray; Machine Tool- Robert Douglas, Jacob McClain, James K. Storey, Zeb Robinson; Plumbing- Jimmy Garcia, Ronnie Orr, Jeremy Riddle, Ralph Turnbow, Charles Horne, Kila Palmer, William Sledd, Jack Nicholson, Anthony Phelps, Terry Traywick, Jeffrey White; Welding- Joseph Micuda, Mark Kissell, Farris Bartholomew, Joseph Crocker, Dylan Hawks, Brock Davidson, Jeffrey Scott, Brian Zollicoffer, Billy Hopkins, David Rigsby.

Twelve students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. Honor Society inductees include Thomas Malone, Virginia Dean, Barbara Owens, Nicole Taylor, Linda Pogue, Pamela Clark, Osker Seiber, Robert Ridings, Gregory Hardin, Kristen Robbins, Christie Brown, Carol Tucker.

Twenty students were recognized for achieving perfect attendance during the previous Spring Trimester. Those receiving Perfect Attendance certificates were Gregory Camper, Larry Eaton, Thomas Malone, Nicole Taylor, Thomas Dailey, Michael Warren, Michael Howell, Mark Reed, Robert Ridings, Rose Pettie, Eric Henderson, James Dowden, Steven Lassiter, Ronnie Orr, Jack Nicholson, Christie Brown, Lee Ann Long, Varleria Hampton, Sheila Vermillion, and Andrew Doster

A group of students in the Green Technology class were presented with Presidents Challenge Physical Fitness Awards by Representative Curtis Halford of Milan. Receiving Bronze Medals were Brian Cruse, Joseph Shattuck, Thomas Dailey, Tammy Holley, Correna Dycus.

Green Technology Class Tours Solar Facility

Our Green Technology Class took a tour of Sharp Electronics in Memphis TN on Wednesday the 4th of August. Sharp is a global leader in solar electricity, Sharp powers more homes and business than any other solar manufacturer worldwide. We appreciate the opportunity to be able to look at what goes into the manufacturing of solar panels.

TTC Brings Home the Gold Again

Two students at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie brought home first place honors at the National Skills USA competition.

Brian Cruse of McKenzie and Steve Crawford of Paris placed first in the Sustainable Solutions event. Their Micro-Hydro display won rave reviews from the judges and fellow competitors for there creativity and craftsmanship. Both students received a $50 gift card from Lowes.

TTC McKenzie also competed in two other events at the National Competition. Mark Reed of Trenton placed fourteenth in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning event. Ralph Turnbow of Dresden placed sixth in the Nation in the Plumbing and Pipefitting competition.

Skills USA is a national organization serving teachers, high school, and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. Skills USA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level Skills USA Championships, over 5,000 students competed in 87 occupational and leadership skill areas.

WIA Welding Class Graduates

A total of 14 students graduated from the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie evening Welding class on Thursday June 10th. The class was sponsored through a grant by the Workforce Investment Act Area 11 to help retrain dislocated workers.

Those receiving diplomas were Roy Alsup-Huntingdon, Michael Bennett-Paris, Anthony Brown-Huntingdon, Chris Caire-Gleason, Clarence Caperton-McKenzie, Jere Glenn-Gleason, James Hoard-McKenzie, Micheal Jones-Palmersville, Jason McCutcheon-McKenzie, Stephanie Mitchell-McKenzie, David Morgan-Huntingdon, William Noles-Bruceton, Gary Stone-Greenfield, and Dekota Todd-Camden.

FUN DAY

Thanks to everybody for making Fun Day a great experience.

AWS Student Day

Students in Welding Technology competed in the Annual AWS Section 106 student day competition held in May. Heath Bartholomew placed 1st in the Shielded Metal Arc Contest and Chad Mann placed 3rd in the Oxygen Fuel Cutting contest.

Skills USA Winners

Students at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie brought home six gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the State Skills USA competitions.

The Center competed in the post-secondary division of the 45th Annual Conference in Chattanooga and received gold medals in Plumbing, HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning), CNC Turning, CNC Milling and Sustainable Solutions. The school also placed Second in Electronics Technology and Third in Telecommunications Cabling. The competition tested students in practical skills as well as oral and written exams. All the winners will advance to the national competition in June in Kansas City, MO.

Mark Reed of Trenton earned gold in HVAC this year making three years in a row that TTC McKenzie has won first place in HVAC. Brian Cruse of Gleason and Steve Crawford of Paris placed first in the Sustainable Solutions event. They will compete in the Sustainable Energy competition at Nationals with their Micro Hydro display. Ralph Turnbow of Dresden took home the top spot in Plumbing. The Machine Tool Program brought home two gold medals with Terrell Johnson of Huntingdon winning in the CNC Turning competition and Robert Douglas of Bruceton placing first in CNC Milling. The Green Technology program was well represented with TJ Dailey of McKenzie placing 2nd in Electronics Technology, and Brian Bates of Trenton taking home the bronze medal in Telecommunications Cabling.

Instructors who will accompany the students to nationals in Kansas City are James Tucker, Bruce Moore, Darrell Roland, and Terry Wilson. “We look forward to the national competition and plan on doing very well,” Wilson said.

Skills USA is a national organization serving teachers along with high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. Skills USA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level Skills USA Championships, over 5,000 students compete in 87 occupational and leadership skill areas.

Spring Awards Day

The Spring Trimester at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie ended with Awards Day on April 22nd. The ceremony, organized and sponsored by the campus-wide Student Senate, was held at the McKenzie Church of Christ and led by the Center’s director Dr. Brad White.

A total of 51 students received there diplomas or final certificates and numerous others were recognized for completing certificate levels during the spring 2010 Trimester. Also recognized during the ceremony were students who were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society, and students who attained Perfect Attendance.

The students who completed requirements for graduation are: Automotive Technology- Amber McDaniel, Leandro Ortez; Bio-Medical- Kenny Kennon, Chad Hood, Shannon Powell; Business Systems McKenzie- Jennifer Wiseman, Judy Wallace, Melissa Franks; Business Systems Martin- Paula Todd, Donna Harris, Pamela Totty, Nicole Neblett, Patricia Wolfe, Karen Petty, Deborah Clark; Computer Information- Matthew Brown, Victor Rich, Hunter Brannon, Matthew Brewer, Terry Woodruff, Aaron Hatley, Steven Richardson, Sammie Stoots; HVAC/Refrigeration- William Rimmer, Jeremy Dethloff, Eric Baskin, Michael Howell, Lucian Kee, Jerrod McCord, Trevor Gullet, Rita Howze; Industrial Maintenance McKenzie- Jacob Thum, Darrell Mealer, Justin Tanner, Clint Beacham, Chris Longmire; Industrial Maintenance Martin- John McKinney, Coy Martin, Emanuel Harris, Ricardo Ware; Machine Tool- James Jones, Jonathan Holland, Terrell Johnson; Welding- Jacob Baker, Kyle Baker, Tanya Davidson, Matthew Warren, Jere Glenn, Thomas Mitchell, Roy Alsup, Michael Bennett.

Fifteen students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. Honor Society inductees include Thomas Malone, Jane Dublin, Barbara Stegall, Sandra Williams, Christopher Smith, Alta Tate, Mechelle Knight, Carol Dunivant, Dixie Timmons, Thomas Dailey Jr, Andrew Stockdale, James Dowden, Steven Lassiter, Darrell Mealer, Anthony Brown.

Thirty Two students were recognized for achieving perfect attendance during the previous Fall Trimester. Those receiving Perfect Attendance certificates were Corey Nooner, Brent Gordon, Kenny Kennon, Barbara Stegall, Dixie Timmons, Graham Vickers, Howard Webber, Brian Cruse, Kevin Newsome, Troy Grimes, Lucian Kee, Mark Reed, William Rimmer, William Pennington, Terry Dunn, Steven Lassiter, Coy Martin, James Dowden, Jerry Galey, Josh Murray, Rose Pettie, Emanuel Harris, James Batten, Robert Ridings, Jimmie Moore, Ronnie Orr, Jeffrey White, Jack Nicholson, Jeremy Riddle, Jere Glenn, David Morgan, Farris Bartholomew.

Following the ceremony, a reception was held in honor of the graduates and their families.

National Guard Donation

Have you ever said “I can’t do much because I don’t have a lot of money to give.” That is not what the students at Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie said. The McKenzie Campus Student Senate took the attitude that every penny counts. They hosted a Penny Drive competition among classes at the McKenzie and Martin locations to raise funds for the McKenzie Family Readiness support group of our local guard unit.

The students raised $2,000 that they presented to readiness group volunteers. “This has been such a special competition among our students and faculty and we are so glad to be able to donate the money to such a worthwhile cause,” stated Melissa Franks, Student Senate President. The competitions were won by the Business Systems Technology class at McKenzie and the Industrial Maintenance Class in Martin.

High School Welding Student Places in State Competation

Congratulations to Andrew Doster a student in our Welding class who placed 2nd in the Region in FFA AG Sales Contest.

Automotive Program Receives New Tools

Lowe's and Kobalt Tools in partnership with SkillsUSA are helping the next generation of trade professionals develop their skills at TTC/McKenzie through their Toolbox Education program. Lowe's is donating approximately $1,100 worth of kobalt tools to the school as part of the national program, which will total about $450,000 to 400 SkillsUSA Automotive service technology programs across the nation for use in their classrooms.

Green Technology Class Becomes Certified as Green Academy

The Green Technology class here at the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie has just earned the certification as one of the nation’s first Green Academy’s through ETA (Electronics Technicians Association). The designation comes after many hours of hard work put in by students and their instructor Bruce Moore.

Just launched, ETA International’s Green Academy will be a collaborative effort for both schools that are approved to utilize ETA alternative energy certifications and industry partners who offer training or are looking to hire students.

“We hear from schools each day who are entering the alternative energy market and including their local industry. This recognition, ‘Green Academy’ shows which schools have completed the full circle - students, training, certification and jobs,” said ETA International President, Teresa Maher

It is important for students to receive hands-on training and what better way to do that than by creating partnerships with local businesses. Students are able to receive the necessary hands-on training through internships and also receive ETA certification.

Schools and facilities who wish to become part of ETA’s Green Academy must have at least one training program approved by ETA to teach a Level One certification in one of the ETA Alternative Energy disciplines (photovoltaic, small and commercial wind, micro hydro, fuel cells, solar thermal, geothermal, Stirling technology or solar concentration). The school must also have an agreement with an employer to provide part or all of its students with either an internship or an externship. For a specific list of qualifications please visit, www.certifymegreen.org.

"The Green Academy program will help to bridge the gap between course completion and employment, said Ray Stroud, ETA Alternative Energy project manager. “A person who has just completed the Green Academy program will have a level of/ confidence during a job interview that comes with real world contact training and experiences."

FFA Skills Competition

On Thursday the Fourth of March over 80 local High School Students Competed in five different events here. We would just like to congratulate all those who competed.

Robot Wars a Huge Success

The Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie hosted the sixth annual Robot Wars on Friday February 19 at the center on Highland Drive.

Students from the Bio-Medical Technology and Green Electronics classes competed against students from the Technology Center at Newbern. The competition was judged by longtime electronics instructor Tom Lewis.

The contest involved two events- the first was the line follower speed event for the robots to follow around and oblong track. The robots were judged on time and accuracy. The second event was the Sumo Robot competition. This was a round robin style format where the robots tried to push their opponent off the oval track.

In the line follower category, Cody McGowan of TTC Newbern won first in total time and also Smallest design; Clint Fesmire (Green Technology) won Biggest design, Steve Crawford (Green Technology) won Best Design; Robert Forbus (Green Technology) won Most Creative with his Cadillac tractor design.

Green Technology Class

The Green Technology class here at the Technology Center has just completed wiring on the new Henry County Fair Commercial Building. The class, under the direction of Instructor Bruce Moore, spent over 200 man hours working on the project with help from Fair Board Representative Joe Snow.