Career and Technical Education District of Distinction

Dickinson ISD was recently selected as a Career and Technical Education District of Distinction by the Career and Technical Association of Texas. This prestigious recognition honors districts across Texas for their exemplary leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to student success through high-quality Career and Technical Education programs.

The CTE District of Distinction program highlights districts that excel in workforce readiness, foster innovation in CTE, and inspire others through their dedication to student achievement and community impact. Dickinson ISD is honored to serve as a model of excellence, showcasing best practices and driving progress in CTE statewide. This honor celebrates Dickinson ISD’s achievements while setting a benchmark for CTE excellence statewide. It opens new opportunities for collaboration with industry and educational leaders, ensuring students graduate ready to excel in the workforce and beyond.

Through the guidance of Dickinson ISD Career and Technical Education Director Dr. Melissa Everett and her department of dedicated educators, the district’s CTE program has excelled in many ways, including being the first school district in Texas to launch a high school imaging program and being leaders in state and national level competitions. The CTE Department is looking to the future and the many new opportunities available to students as they eagerly anticipate the opening of the new CTE facility and event center on the DHS campus during the 2026-2027 school year.

Congratulations to the Dickinson FFA Ag Issues team and the Greenhand Skills team for their outstanding performances today at our District Leadership Development contest, earning them BOTH an advancement to the Area LDE contests on November 20th!

The Ag Issues team, consisting of Hunter Hall, Grace Langs, Jucely Leos, and German Olvera, faced a panel of judges this morning and developed a SWOT analysis over the Dickinson Water Street Project’s impact on local agriculture. The team skillfully explored key topics such as soil conservation, water quality, parks and recreation, wildlife management, marine ecosystems, and agricultural education. Their comprehensive analysis and dedication to these important issues highlighted the importance of informed community discussion, and earned them a second place spot in the competition with an advancement to area.

Freshmen Jordyn Broussard, Clara Grice, Amanda Milton, and Haydyn Reyes made up our Greenhand Agricultural Skills team this morning. These ladies gave the judges an engaging demonstration on how to make and decorate a pet-safe birthday cake. The skills team did an excellent job showcasing the importance of understanding proper animal nutrition, making informed choices when adding treats to a pet’s diet, and selecting pet-friendly human food products to make your own delicious and safe doggie dessert. Their tail-wagging presentation earned them third place in their competition, and an area advancement.

A special shoutout to these two groups of students for their hard work and excellence. Well done, Dickinson FFA!

The Dickinson High School- School Store received a $2,500.00 Grant from The TXCPA Houston Foundation last spring to purchase a 100% Fruit Juice – Frosty Fruit Slushy Machine.  The School Store better known as “The SWAMP STOP” is run by the Practicum on Entrepreneurship Class at DHS.  Students are learning all the ins and outs and ups and downs of running a small sole proprietorship business.  Students have specific positions and titles and are ultimately responsible for all aspects of what goes on in the store including inventory purchasing, inventory management, marketing, business management, customer service, pricing, and the accounting/finance side as well. The practicum class is also learning QuickBooks Online Accounting software and will be able to sit for the QuickBooks-Online certification at the end of the year.

The Frosty Fruit slushy machine has added a whole new element to our retail business and with our increase in profits we are hoping to expand the frosty fruit machines to two flavors and open a satellite location in the 9^th grade center.

We are very grateful to the TXCPA Houston Foundation for supporting the Dickinson High School Swamp Stop – School Store.  Their generous grant has enhanced the Dickinson High School entrepreneurship student experience exponentially and allows them so many more opportunities to experience how a thriving business runs, what it takes to keep it up and running and what it takes to continue being profitable.