By Lisa Voyles

Chickasaw Journal

HOUSTON - The Vocational Center in Okolona also offers hands-on training in practical and marketable skills in seven different subject areas

While OVC offers Allied Health, Auto Mechanics, BCT like most other Centers, but also offer courses in Marketing, Technology Applications and Family and Consumer Science.

In the past year, OVC has been restructuring to transition the Furniture Upholstery class into Residential Carpentry.

Instructor Dwayne Singleton said that the class incorporates the basics of tool use and design but offers more options to students that just furniture upholstery.

"Virtually the architecture is the same," Singleton said. "The equipment and operation are the same and so is the sketch and blueprint reading."

The new course incorporates fundamentals of design and construction that can be implemented in home repair, additions and maintenance.

"We're including projects for outdoor landscaping and expanding to incorporate more options," Singleton said.

Raising and meeting the bar

OVC Director Amy Anderson said that a long-term goal of the facility is to improve student's scores on the state CPAS tests. In the spring of 2008, Anderson reported that the facility doubled their previous percentage of students scoring at state average or above.

"This shows that with determination and good teachers that our students can do as well as any in the state," Anderson said. "We are so proud of the results and the dedication of the entire faculty, staff and the students who truly want to achieve."

Along with the increased rankings on the CPAS, students at OVC are back in competition again. This year, several students participated in competitions in their respective subjects with good results.