HEB ISD School & Family Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 17

Gene A. Buinger Career and Technical Education Academy
Exploring Marketable Skills
The Gene A. Buinger Career and Technical Education Academy proudly offers real-life,
hands-on opportunities for all students. Through every course of every program, students
learn both the fundamentals and the state-of-the-art skills of their field, while working with
software programs and technology tools that are being used in industry today. Students
graduate with employability skills that give them a competitive advantage in the working world.
Law and Public Safety and Engineering Design are examples of our growing CTE programs, providing
the real-life skills that let HEB ISD students compete for careers at a global level.
Law and Public Safety – Program Spotlight
The Buinger CTE Academy now has six classes in the Law and Public Safety
program: Forensics (New!) – The latest addition to the program; science
and investigative criminal justice provide opportunities to learn from actual
criminal scenarios and previously solved criminal cases.
Law and Public Safety – An introductory course covering all aspects of the
criminal justice field; topics include police patrol, investigations, SWAT, crime
scene, and forensics.
Court Systems – Through interviewing witnesses, selecting juries, and conducting trials, this class
provides an introduction to the legal profession.
Law Enforcement I - Students must apply for this selective course, which includes the opportunity
to work at local police departments. There will be hands-on opportunities to learn from police officers,
detectives, and crime scene investigators. At the end of the course, students are approved to ride-along
in patrol car with police officers.
Law Enforcement II & Practicum – In these two courses, students serve as interns (and may apply
for paid internship opportunities) at police departments or city offices. Positions in these courses are
reserved for those who excel in their classes and exceed expectations.
Students in Law and Public Safety courses also enjoy the Law and Public Safety Club that meets weekly
at the Buinger CTE Academy. Meetings include supervised practice of specific job skills: handcuffing,
traffic stops, felony traffic stops, building searches, foot pursuits, and more. Students who are involved in
this club can also take part in regional/state competitions and field trips.
Engineering Department – Program Spotlight
As part of HEB ISD’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) initiative,
Buinger CTE Academy offers the sequence of Engineering Design and Advanced
Engineering Design. Next school year, an Engineering Design practicum will be
added.
Those enrolled in these classes learn and practice the process of design as it applies
to engineering. Students use professional-grade design & drafting software, with
a goal of earning industry-recognized certifications before graduating high school.
They will also learn to produce and present working drawings, as they will need to
do in the workplace