Managing a CTSO

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Managing a CTSO

• And staying sane while doing so!

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What is the purpose of a CTSO?

• Connect the students learning to the real world
• Provide opportunities for career exploration and
  leadership skill building
• Recognize student achievement in the Career and
  Tech fields
• Allow students to see the relevance of their
  learning
• Get students excited about your program and helps
  to recruit more students for your program

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Attitude

• If you act enthusiastic, you will be
  enthusiastic!
• Students want to be a part of something fun,
  entertaining and helpful to them.
• Other teachers will want to help you if you
  appear organized. Know what you need them to
  do and ask for help!

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Getting started

• Set goals
• Select officers
• Plan your own program of work Sample
• Plan travel Purchase orders
• Look at the state and national websites to
  familiarize yourself with the theme, registration
  guidelines, and expectations
• Get excited!

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Ideas for Officers

• President
• Secretary
• VP Competition
• VP Publicity
• VP Fundraising
• VP Community Service
• Choose your officers rather than voting because
  you will work with them the most
• Hold them accountable meet monthly
• Make them feel appreciated
• Try to get them to sign up for your class if
  possible

Officer Application Sample
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Membership

• Class presentations by you by your officers to
  other classes (Do by middle of September)
• Set your dues create a membership form
• Publicize Bulletin boards, announcements,
  stickers, etc
• Create an awesome club t-shirt that others want
  either by you or the students (Customink.com)
• Make it personal send invitations to former
  students, provide discounts for recruiting
  certain of members

Membership Application
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Monthly Meetings

• Meet with your club monthly
• Host before and/or afterschool meetings/socials
• Make it as student led as possible remember it
  is their club!
• Find Guest Speakers early parents of students,
  your own network of friends, partners in
  education, share with other clubs, colleges (Art
  Institute, Medix), just call around area
  businesses

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Monthly Meetings contd

• Ask questions before you choose a guest speaker
  they must be able to speak to teens and be
  interactive entertaining
• Other ideas brainstorm with your officers
• Stress Management
• Community Service
• Job Interviewing
• Dressing for Success Image
• Applying for college
• Alumni Day (Get permission!)
• Make them as interactive as possible

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Sample Meeting

• Have officers dress professionally and/or wear
  blazers for competition
• Greet members _at_ door
• Provide agenda
• Introduction
• Icebreaker
• Meeting topic
• Door prizes
• Food
• Keep it simple
• Take pictures!

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Competition

• Huge opportunity for students This is their
  sport.
• Explore and ask questions
• Region, State, International levels
• Implement a local competition to ensure
  commitment

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Competition

• Prepare students early begin in October
  incorporating it into your class.
• Give your other teachers lesson ideas to help you
  prepare them for competition
• Start small to learn how it works and build from
  there
• Ask students you think would be interested and
  take it seriously to sign up
• Volunteer at the competitions to learn more
• Keep materials organized for the next year

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How to prepare for competition

• Start early! Even on 1st day getting to know
  the club
• Use test questions as warm-up questions in class
  that go with the unit that you are working on.
• Have a day in class to use as a quiz bowl where
  students work in teams and take sample tests.
  Winners get a prize.
• Use the role plays or other performance based
  events in your class with the unit that you are
  working on.
• Have former members return to class and discuss
  with current members what competition is like and
  how to prepare.
• Request donations from local businesses/partners
  (tax free!)

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Traveling with students

• Have students pay deposits for EVERYTHING
• Provide packets to each competitor
• Include a memo outlining all event information
  including dress code, event location, times of
  departure, meal information, event times,
  expectations, consequences of poor behavior,
  costs, etc)
• Include all forms field trip permission forms,
  conduct assurance, grade verification sheets,
  etc)
• Keep a field trip notebook to take with you on
  trips to stay organized

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Traveling with students

• Give students your phone number and have them
  stay with a buddy and check in with you
  periodically
• Do room checks
• If anything happens, find the state advisor and
  then your administrators
• If you have a field trip notebook, all of the
  information you need will be in that notebook ?

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Community Service Projects

• Plan at least 2 projects per year
• Brainstorm with your officers for ideas
• Work with other clubs together for bigger impact
• Provide opportunities to serve, not just donate
  money or items
• Write press releases for the newspaper and submit
  them to be published.

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Community Service Projects

• Ideas for projects
• Each club usually has a fall spring idea that
  includes collecting money for a variety of causes
  including breast cancer, MDA, Diabetes
  Foundation, etc.
• Collect items for care packages to send to armed
  forces
• Homeless Shelter of Douglas County
• Sheltering Arms
• Veterans Day honor those in your school
• Teacher Appreciation
• School Beautification projects

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Fundraising

• Brainstorm with your officers
• Sell candy but have them turn in dollars or
  checks (no coins!)
• Create projects in class where students create a
  product to sell to others in the school to raise
  money (with prior permission!)
• Ideas Catalog fundraisers, t-shirts, products
  at games, homecoming buttons, football/basketball
  game ideas
• Otis Spunkmeyer Smoothie machines (depending on
  administration)
• Get creative

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Other Field Trips

• If allowed, students love field trips!
• Opportunity to see places and encourage
  membership in your club
• Ideas
• Local businesses where students can see your
  subjects in real life
• Colleges/Universities
• Federal Reserve, CNN Center, World of Coke,
  Chick-fil-a Corporate Headquarters, any place
  that you can prove to be co-curricular and
  valuable to the students

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Things to remember

• Be passionate about it because it is what helps
  students achieve the most brings them back to
  your program
• Start slow and increase goals each year
• Learn from others
• Ask questions
• Dont get discouraged, just learn from the issue
  and move on
• Have a notebook to keep organized
• Membership
• Officers include your officer info, POW, etc
• Field Trip Notebook check request forms, sub
  forms, printed emails from state advisors, field
  trip forms, etc to take with you on your trips