Mount Joy, PA – Thomas Feguer wasn’t sure what he wanted to be when he grew up.
The soccer- and tennis-playing senior from Elizabethtown Area School District was willing to try a cooking class at his sending school for the food, and he found that he genuinely enjoyed being a part of a culinary team. Feguer had “a bunch of goofballs” in his group who were also game to replicate a Gordon Ramsay dish for their final project.
“I think I made a biscuit, like, maybe two weeks before” the team attempted sausage, honey, and cheddar biscuits, he said. “So many things went wrong, and our oven didn’t get to the right temp[erature], so our biscuits didn’t brown right or anything. But we still ended up winning the final against a really good-looking smash burger and some kind of pasta. … It was that moment [that] I think I knew I wanted to do [culinary arts].”
Feguer started working at Taco Bell in June of 2022, at the chain’s brand-new Mount Joy location. He remembered his manager texting him directly to encourage him to submit a video application for the Live Más Scholarship through the Taco Bell Foundation. “Later on, in April, my store manager was like, “Oh, yeah, we’re having a meeting celebrating our core evaluation, which is when corporate comes in to make sure we’re doing our job right,” he said. He recalled the pressure to attend, which was all a set-up to award his first $10,000 scholarship. Feguer emphasized the shock of seeing the big check and the realization that he could continue to apply.
He next submitted a montage of himself working in the store with a voiceover in his second application, earning $10,000 of the $20,000 he applied for. He decided to “shoot for the moon” this year with another video of himself cooking in the kitchen at Taco Bell. He was awarded $25,000. Feguer explained that in sum, he and the other 27 scholarship winners from his ownership franchise were given a little over half a million dollars, which meant “we pretty much swept the competition.”
Feguer felt a kind of “kick” from his scholarship awards to make active moves towards becoming a culinary professional. Following his high school Foods and Nutrition courses and his second scholarship award, he joined the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) to “learn how to play in the sandbox.” He feels he has grown in his leadership abilities and “work ethic is such a big part of it.” He admits he didn’t know much before joining the full-day Culinary Arts program — “I knew nothing about a hollandaise sauce or fine julienne cuts” — and was nervous that he would feel behind in comparison to students who have worked in food trucks or parents’ restaurants. In retrospect, he says, “We’re all here to learn… and everyone knows that…. You get what you put into it.”
Feguer is headed to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York this fall for his bachelor’s degree in food and business. With knowledge from their business classes and connections through CIA networking events, he hopes to become a private chef for athletes and sports teams.
About the LCCTC: The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center (LCCTC) is a full-service career and technical school dedicated to preparing high school students and adults for careers in the new economy. Lancaster County CTC is best among its class and strives to meet the highest standards of quality instruction. For more information regarding our mission, programs, or initiatives, please visit lancasterctc.edu.
Category: Mount Joy Campus
April 16, 2025
Willow Street, PA – The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) has announced its Honor Roll for the 3rd marking period of the 2024-2025 school year. Students named to the Honor Roll must maintain a grade of 90 or above. Please see the link below.
LCCTC 2024-2025 3rd Marking Period Honor Roll Students
Note: Some students have been removed from the above list for privacy.
Congratulations to all of our Honor Roll students!
March 5, 2025
Willow Street, PA – The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) has announced information regarding our Certificate and Awards ceremonies for 2025. Please note the Mount Joy and Willow Street campuses are at different locations than previous years.
Congratulations to all of our Certificate and Awards recipients!
Please note, these events are **by invite only!**
Our Certificate and Awards ceremonies will be held at 7:00 PM (with doors opening at 6:15 PM) on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the following locations:
Brownstown Campus — Warwick High School
Mount Joy Campus — LCBC Manheim
Willow Street Campus — Calvary Church, Landis Valley Road
January 27, 2025
Willow Street, PA – The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) has announced its Honor Roll for the 2nd marking period of the 2024-2025 school year. Students named to the Honor Roll must maintain a grade of 90 or above. Please see the link below.
LCCTC 2024-2025 2nd Marking Period Honor Roll Students
Note: Some students have been removed from the above list for privacy.
Congratulations to all of our Honor Roll students!
January 10, 2025
Mount Joy, PA – Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) is proud to recognize its continued partnership with the Lancaster County Firemen’s Association (LCFA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to public safety education and training since 1921. LCFA recently announced it will cover the Academy’s $5,166.86 invoice from the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center for consumable costs in the year 2024.
LCCTC’s Protective Services Academy (PSA) offers high school students hands-on training in firefighting, first responder operations, and emergency medical technician (EMT) procedures. LCFA funds certain essential training materials for the Academy, housed at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center. These materials, ranging from natural gas for fire simulations to wrecked vehicles for rescue drills, allow the Academy to provide students practical training without additional costs.
John Sweigart, LCFA treasurer and a former PSA instructor, explained the nonprofit’s mission is to “provide education and training for firefighters and EMS, and fire safety education for the public.” He considered LCFA’s support of the PSA an investment in the wider Lancaster County community.
In addition to covering training expenses, LCFA reimburses EMT testing fees for Academy students who pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. The community organization also awards a $4,000 scholarship annually to a Protective Services Academy graduate pursuing higher education or technical training in emergency services.
Sweigart noted that “the sooner you can get people involved,” the better prepared and more well-equipped future first responders will be.
To encourage student interest in first responder employment, LCFA grants Academy students and instructors free admission to its annual spring Fire Expo at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The Expo offers students a look at cutting-edge emergency services equipment and training opportunities with over 260 exhibitors and nearly 10,000 attendees. The event also provides students with opportunities for professional networking.
Many graduates of LCCTC’s Protective Services Academy join local fire departments, EMS agencies, or 911 dispatch centers. Sweigart emphasized LCFA’s support plays a critical role in fostering the pipeline of skilled professionals who serve Lancaster County’s emergency needs.
For more information about LCFA and its initiatives, visit https://www.lcfa.com/.
About the LCCTC: The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center (LCCTC) is a full-service career and technical school dedicated to preparing high school students and adults for careers in the new economy. Lancaster County CTC is best among its class and strives to meet the highest standards of quality instruction. For more information regarding our mission, programs, or initiatives, please visit lancasterctc.edu.
Willow Street, PA – Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) sent our three SkillsUSA teams to the 2024 Fall Leadership Workshop for SkillsUSA Pennsylvania, Central Region, on Nov. 13 through Nov. 15. The event offered students leadership seminars, networking opportunities, and social activities.
Maryjane VanArsdale (Elizabethtown), a Precision Machining student at Mount Joy, considered the event an opportunity to infuse career and technical education (CTE) with the sense of community that traditional K-12 institutions can more easily tap into. She explained, “Skills brings the fun into the school, a little bit. It’s not just straight work, work, work. … So to have that here… it makes me think of my home school a little bit.”
Airamis Conde (Conestoga Valley), a Patient Care Technician student at Willow Street, described the conference and its lessons in leadership as critical. She stressed that leadership skills in her field mean “life or death on our table” when students join the workforce.
On Wednesday, conference officers announced that Meals on Wheels and Sunshine for Seniors would benefit from the event’s raffle draw fundraiser. In the evening, our students socialized with other career and technology centers (CTCs) at a nearby movie theater.
When asked about the socializing opportunity, Ky Logan (Elizabethtown), a Veterinary Assistant student at Willow Street, said she overcame her social anxiety, admitting she “felt comfortable” engaging in conversations.
Britney Valetin (Conestoga Valley), a Patient Care Technician student at Willow Street, added she didn’t know how to build a conversation with a stranger and appreciated the chance to take ownership of her social skills in a closed setting.
Josh Erwin (Ephrata), a student in Willow Street’s intergenerational Medical Assistant program, summarized: “Everyone there was there for the same reason. We all had the common goal of, we’re all here to be future leaders and to represent SkillsUSA from our respective campuses and schools. It was a lot easier to connect with people.”
Of the lessons she learned at the workshops, Natalie Yang (Garden Spot), a direct peer of Erwin’s, highlighted the importance of timing and adaptability in leadership. She emphasized the ability to discern “when is the right time to say something and when is the right time to listen.”
Similarly, Sara Rager (Manheim Township), a Patient Care Technician student at Willow Street, reflected on how her understanding of leadership evolved through the conference, realizing that “a leader doesn’t always have to be the first one to speak or stand.”
On Thursday, students toured the Gettysburg Battlefield, competed in tricycle races, and interviewed for Outstanding SkillsUSA Student. At night, event organizers and our SkillsUSA advisors welcomed LCCTC administrators to a formal dinner where the Outstanding Central Region Awards were presented and the fundraiser drew to a close. The conference concluded on Friday morning with the presentation of Leadership Challenge Awards and brunch.
Rager appreciated the visible advisor and administrative presences at the dinner. “All of the teachers, they’re very passionate about SkillsUSA too. It’s not just the students, it’s everyone who’s really involved in it,” she emphasized.
Conde appreciated her advisors for taking time from their personal lives for the conference. She said her advisors gifting their time demonstrates how much they value their students.
Layla Mellinger (Penn Manor), SkillsUSA president and student of the Architectural CAD program at Brownstown, appreciated the conference and club for re-energizing her educational journey. She explained she feels more excited to learn at LCCTC than at in traditional K-12 education: “Here, you get a fresh start with new people from everywhere, where you can show who your true self is without having to hide anything… without being in fear of, ‘What are they thinking of me?’”
“You don’t realize how much of an effect [SkillsUSA] has on you until after,” said Rager. “You have a reason to come to school. You have a reason to just be present… And I think that’s so huge.”
In accordance with Pennsylvania Act 55, the LCCTC has created a new enrollment policy to adhere to guidelines set by the state. Effective for the ’25-’26 school year, the policy states that high interest LCCTC programs are to be filled with priority given to students enrolled in our sending district schools over resident home-schooled students. These high interest programs include:
Full-Time Programs:
- Automotive Technology
- Diesel Equipment Technology
- Electrical Construction Technology
- Heavy Equipment Operations & Basic Maintenance
- HVAC/R
- Patient Care Technician
- Welding Technology – Full-Day – Mount Joy
Half-Day Programs:
- Introduction to Construction – Brownstown
- Introduction to Construction – Mount Joy
- Introduction to Construction – Willow Street
- Introduction to Culinary – Mount Joy
- Introduction to Culinary – Willow Street
- Introduction to Health Careers – Willow Street
- Introduction to Manufacturing Careers – Mount Joy
- Introduction to Manufacturing Careers – Willow Street
- Introduction to Transportation Careers – Mount Joy
- Introduction to Transportation Careers – Willow Street
For home-schooled students living in our sixteen sending districts and interested in attending the CTC, this policy may also alleviate the number of steps involved in the admissions process. Following the enrollment guidelines, home-schooled students still must coordinate with a counselor within their sending districts when applying for programs at the LCCTC.
The LCCTC secondary student application is currently open. Click HERE to learn more.
As we get ready for a new school year, we are looking back at all of the great things that happened last year at the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center!
Click HERE or click on the image below to read student stories, learn more about how we have grown within the last year, and what we look forward to in the future!

Lancaster County Career & Technology Center has announced its Honor Roll for the second marking period of the 2023-24 school year.
Students named to the Honor Roll must maintain a grade of 90 or above.
Please click on the link below to view the list.
LCCTC 2023-2014 2nd Marking Period Honor Roll Students
Congratulations to all of our Honor Roll Students on a strong start to the academic year!