We are slowly getting back to some normalcy. Even though we are in the "Yellow" phase, we still have a long way to go to get to the "Green" zone.

We will be doing only senior testing for some of our technologies and hope to start this in the next few weeks. Any student who is unable to come to the school for testing will still be able to do it remotely. We are trying to get as many certifications for our seniors as we can before the end of the school year.

Our plan is to have Health Assistant, Culinary Arts, Welding, our Construction Cluster and Networking start the wave for senior certifications. Since we technically have only three weeks of school remaining, we will make every effort to award as many certifications that we can in this short time.

We will be opening our CDL and Practical Nursing programs on Monday, May 18, 2020, to allow students entry into the building.

Classrooms are set up for social distancing. Everyone must have a mask on during the testing. The room will be cleaned before and after each class. Safety and sanitation are key for everything we do. Safety barricades are being installed in our main office as well as in the Practical Nursing and CDL buildings.

I will continue to keep you updated on graduation ceremonies, grading, assignments, and plans for the start of next school year. We, of course, are awaiting guidance from the Governor's office and the Department of Health.

I hope you are staying safe and being careful. We are all hopeful that by following the regulations and guidelines our lives will get back to "normal."

Stay Safe Everyone!

In times of national or international tragedy, people come together to do all they can to survive. The Western Area faculty and staff want to assure our students, parents, and community that we are doing all we can to provide our students with an enriched education. In an effort to ensure our students do not fall behind, we will continue to send assignments to our students. I realize this is not as much fun as the hands-on projects our students are used to working on, but hopefully this will only be for a short time.

To our parents: Please make sure your child completes the work sent to them by their teacher. And if you have any questions, email your child's teacher. Our paraprofessionals may also be emailing and/or calling our students to help them succeed. All work will be given a pass/fail grade. Our goal is that no students fail.

To the community: Our challenge is to make sure we are producing the best students to work in your industry. We know we have great students and are hopeful this unusual way of teaching will keep them actively involved in their chosen programs so they are job-ready when we return.

Even though we are living in different and difficult times, our teachers are doing an outstanding job making sure our students continue to receive enriched educational learning materials. We thank all parents and the community for your support and look forward to having our students back in the classroom!

If you need anything or have questions, please do not hesitate to email me at dmccarthy@wactc.net. Stay safe and stay in touch.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Area Career & Technology Center will remain closed until further notice. Check back to this website (www.wactc.net) periodically for further updates.

Western Area Career & Technology Center is taking the Coronavirus very seriously.

• We have educated all of our teachers on the virus and ways to stop it from spreading.
• We have put Purell hand sanitizers in every classroom to be used by students and staff. 
• Our school nurse has spoken to each technology about hand washing and proper ways to deal with cold and flus. 
• We have given each teacher a kit containing Kleenex, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizers. 
• Purell hand sanitizer has been placed in every bathroom. 
• Our custodians sanitize each technology at night when students leave for the day. 
• We are also cleaning every door handle in the building in case proper hygiene is not being followed. We are staying very proactive for this virus and will continue to use this practice throughout the school year. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns of what we are doing to deter the spread of the Coronavirus.