Owensville High School continues to grow its career technology education (CTE) programs, providing students with the means to be college and career-ready after graduation. Since adding new programs to its course catalogue this year, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Staci Johnson said they are doing better than expected.

The board voted unanimously last winter to add two early childhood education daycare classrooms at the Owensville Elementary School, specifically for student and teacher use. Services are offered at a discounted rate of $10 a day per child. The going rate in the area is between $20 and $30 per child.

Johnson originally estimated that creating and maintaining the program would cost the district around $95,000, but on Tuesday afternoon, she said they haven’t reached that amount.

“Right now, we are at around $70,000,” Johnson began. “We originally accounted for hiring three paraprofessionals, but right now, we just need two paras. We may hire more as we have more babies coming on board later this year, in the spring, possibly.”

The program currently accommodates 11 children under three years old, but is expected to be closer to 15 by the end of the year. Students in the OHS child development class may apply to assist in the daycare’s early childhood development classrooms.

“We have six (high school) students helping in those two classrooms,” Johnson said.

Earlier this year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officially approved Rick Hardy’s automotive class as a certified CTE program.

The Gasconade County R-2 Board of Education toured the agriculture building on Dec. 26, 2024, to determine where an expanded automotive classroom could be located after Johnson successfully applied for and received a $336,960 Limited Access grant.

“Now that it is a fully approved program, we are working with East Central College so that our students can graduate with certifications and college credits. We are partnering with ECC to deliver those right now,” Johnson said.

Hardy also teaches the district’s two CTE screen printing classes, which Amy Quertermous’s class visited on Oct. 10 during a student journalism workshop sponsored by The Republican and the Missouri School of Journalism.

“We were a pilot program for screen printing,” Johnson said. “DESE approved them as a CTE program last year. There are 30 students in two classes.”

Johnson applied for and received a $295,317 fifty-fifty Limited Access Grant for minor remodeling and equipment, in addition to setting an amount aside for the teacher’s salary. The screen printing class houses several machines that allows for the group to create t-shirts for district clubs and various organizations.