When looking at their course selection guide, students may have noticed descriptions under a few courses that say “offered at the James Reese Career and Technical Center” or “JRCTC”. JRCTC is a technical or trade school of sorts that offers advanced CTE courses for FBISD students. Students can apply to these specialized programs and essentially attend two campuses in one year, their home campus, and the Reese Center. Through this program, students are able to get hands-on experience in a chosen career prior to graduating high school.
Unlike other campuses, the James Reese Center offers courses specialized for different career pathways. Students are offered exclusive courses where they learn about either Culinary Arts, Medical Science, Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Film, Early Education, and more.
“Students [at the Reese Center] get hands-on, real-world experiences through our enterprise programs, where they get to work with the community practicing techniques they learn,” Intro to Culinary Arts teacher Ann Solis said.
Both teachers and students agree that while students are held to a different standard due to their course load, the environment is also very different at JRCTC.
“This campus has more of a junior college feel,” World History teacher Kara Pendergraft said. “There are few behavioral issues, and the learning is extended at a different level here. We see a level of excellence in both behavior and academics that are not as high at a traditional secondary campus. Students know that it is a privilege to be accepted to come to Reese and hold themselves to a higher standard.”
Although these standards may seem intimidating at first, one of the best details about attending JRCTC is being surrounded by students who have similar interests and career goals. Because students must go through an application process to attend this campus, as well as the various scheduling complications, certifications, and sacrifices students must make to be able to take these specialized courses, most students at JRCTC want to be there, and are passionate about the programs they are enrolled in. This can make for a livelier classroom environment.
“My older sister did cosmetology at JRCTC, and one year we went to see what other programs they have,” Mailie Guzman, who is returning to the Reese Center for her second year, said. “I’ve always been a big fan of cooking and baking, so I got excited when I found out about the culinary program and joined the second I got the chance to sophomore year.”
Similarly, the program instructors at JRCTC are passionate about their students and the programs they teach. It is a rare that high schoolers interested in these trades have the opportunity to seek guidance from people who are already well versed in the career pathways that interest them, that are willing to teach beyond the textbook curriculum, and give valuable management and career advice that can be applied to life after high school or further education.
“I can remember going to a boy’s shelter and showing them how to make French bread pizza,” Solis said. “The smiles on the boys’ faces were enough to make me want to teach, there is something about the look students get when they accomplish a task, they never thought they could… When I heard they were starting to build James Reese, I knew that was where I needed to be, where I was meant to be.”
