At the August 17 School Board Meeting, the Plainview ISD Board of Trustees approved a generous donation of $16,600 from the Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA.) A donation of $10,000 from the EDC and $6,600 from LEDA totaled the donation amount. The district plans to purchase cybersecurity equipment as well as exercise science and wellness equipment for the CTE programs. Plainview ISD spoke with the teachers from these CTE programs to see what equipment is needed for these programs.
Digital Forensics
In the digital forensics program, the district will purchase hard drives, Solid State Drives, Electrostatic Discharge Mats, and safety equipment. With this equipment, students will learn how to correct infected computers from viruses, learn how to restore lost and deleted files, and learn how to protect their own devices from threats such as hackers, malware, phishing, and spam. In addition, students will also learn how to clone a hard drive, work on servers, repair, operate, and protect Mac, Linux, and Windows computers. Should students choose to pursue a career in digital forensics, job opportunities are plentiful in areas of education, law enforcement, attorney offices, and corporate companies.
Exercise Science & Wellness
Another Plainview ISD program that will see the funds is the Exercise Science and Wellness program. In this CTE course, students learn the fundamentals of health, food, and exercise. With these funds, the program expects to purchase a 4D Motion program. This program will allow students to break down movements into increments and measure angles of the human body. Students will learn the human body range of motion that will in turn allow them to write individual workout plans to reduce the risk of injury and build strength with an athlete or individual. The Exercise Science Wellness program is geared towards occupational therapy, physical therapy, and nutrition. In addition, students also receive their personal trainer license upon completion of the program. The job market continues to grow in this area and students are able to apply the skills they learned in jobs such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiology, and other areas of the health sector.
With this donation from the Plainview EDC and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Plainview ISD students are able to apply real world experience in their CTE programs of study. The valuable skills learned in CTE can be applied in their post secondary education and real world jobs. This partnership with the two alliances will allow Plainview ISD and its students to remain competitive in the job market and continue to elevate education in the West Texas area.