President John Mayfield eventually called the meeting to order at 12:05. David Hartman started the meeting off with a thoughtful invocation. Arnold Oliver then led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and decided we all needed to “Smile, Sing a Song”. Afterwards, we did a round of Rotary and greeted our fellow Rotarians.
Our guests for the week included Steve Crate (David Hartman’s brother-in-law), Rachel and Madi Goodner (Will Goodner’s daughters), Mitchell Priddis (Web Fire, potential new member), and Ryan Pitchford (Hospice, potential new member). Mitchell and Ryan were both guests of Alan Donaldson, who has been working hard to promote Rotary at chamber events.
For the Sunshine report, Stacie Cook informed the group that on Tuesday her son, Andrew, is having an oral procedure done that will include the removal of all 4 of his wisdom teeth. Please remember to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
President John reminded everyone to RSVP to Annual Party coming up on the 26th.
There were several brags for the brag bucket this week. Alan bragged on his guest Mitchell, who helped put out flags on Memorial Day after visiting the club for the first time just days before. He also bragged on Will Goodner, who stepped up and promoted Rotary at the chamber event that morning. John bragged on the UT Softball team and UTSA Baseball team. Cara bragged on her son’s basketball team’s 2nd place finish. Noros bragged on his granddaughter's 250lb Marlin and 135lb Sailfish that were caught in the gulf. Lance bragged on his granddaughter's 1st grade softball team’s championship. Carla bragged about her nephew, who stepped into a baseball game with the bases loaded and struck the batter out to end the inning. Stacie bragged on her son Justin, who graduated high school and is starting a paid welding apprenticeship with F.G. Haggerty. Congrats to all for the efforts.
Sara Sorge was then presented with her blue badge by Alan, which is certainly worth a brag as well!
Josh stepped up and introduced our speaker for the week, Jennifer Spurgers, the principal of the CEC Center.
Mrs. Spurgers main objective was to inform our group about the CEC Center and how it ties into the education offered at their main campuses. Mrs. Spurgers shared with the group that she often gets asked about whether it’s the CTE center or CEC center. She said that students receive CTE (Career Training Education) at the CEC (Career Education Center), however the CEC is not the only place in the district that teaches CTE. She said that every campus in the district teaches CTE at some level. She said that the elementary schools have STEM events that promote science, technology, engineering, and math. Middle schools offer courses that are part of the pathways towards the CEC. Every 8th grader in the district is taken on a tour of the CEC prior to picking their pathway as they go into their freshman year. She stressed that even though students pick pathways as 8th graders, they are not locked into their choice. Sometimes changing choices can be difficult, due to not having the prerequisites for higher level courses, such as moving from a trade to culinary arts. The CEC is a tool to help students feel more involved in their education pathway, even though they may not be planning on attending college, however roughly 71% of the 2025 graduating class had received some sort of IBC (Industry Based Certification). WFISD offers multiple career pathways including Agriculture, Architecture/Construction, Communication/AV, Business/Marketing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Health Science, Hospitality/Tourism, Human Services, Information Technology, Law/Public Service, and Transportation. Within these pathways are many career choices including Animal Science, Construction Trades, Cosmetology, Engineering, Welding, Medical Assisting, Certified Nurse Aide, Culinary Arts, Computer Programming, Law Enforcement, and Automotive Tech. The education provided through the CEC allows students to earn IBCs in 32 different categories. Every day approximately 1,400 students attend classes at the CEC. For the 2024-2025 school year, students earned over 560 certifications. The CEC is helping WFISD students prepare for their future in whatever pathway they choose.
Mrs. Spurgers shared with the group that there are multiple ways that Rotarians can help the CEC. Every year the center has community member advisory boards that help the center make sure they are training the workforce that our community needs, and they are always looking for community members to be a part of the discussion. They are also always looking for donations, whether they are monetary or goods. The floral design group loves rearranging donated flowers to create something new. They also welcome classroom speakers, since the kids sometimes get tired of hearing the same voices. Additionally, they host a Career Fair event in May and are always looking for vendors.
After a few questions from the audience, we concluded our meeting with the Four Way Test and President John ringing the bell.