Pickett School Vehicle Additions To Expand CTE Opportunities

Pickett County Schools expect to have a new bus and a van for its CTE programs delivered any day now.

Pickett CTE Director Kenny Tompkins said the van was scheduled to be delivered in mid-February, but it has not arrived yet. He said the van will be used to transport students to competitive career events across the state. The bus will take students daily to TCAT Livingston for dual enrollment classes. He said the vehicles will allow a wider range of opportunities for career education

“We’ll definitely be looking to expand in whatever areas we can and where we can afford to do,” Tompkins said. “Since we’re small, we have limited moneys, except, of course, this ISM grant was very positive for expansion on our part.”

Tompkins said the van will also take students to and from Picket County’s school-based greenhouse where CTE students will grow plants and sell them to the community. He said the school will continue using a reserve school bus until the new vehicles arrive.

“Buses right now are very hard to come by,” Tompkins said. “I know we had ordered a bus earlier, not through this grant, but the system had, back at the beginning of the school year and we just got it.”

Tompkins said the van will get students to FFA conventions and create opportunities for students to mingle and learn alongside students in CTE programs at other schools and in other counties. He said the ability to diversify what is possible for CTE students will be a big life for the development of the program.

“We’re just doing what we have to do,” Tompkins said. “This will just make the whole system easier for us.”