Student Stories Archives - Lancaster County Career & Technology Center

May 6, 2026

The third issue of the LCCTC TechTalk literary magazine is now available!

If you would like to save a copy of the literary magazine, right-click on the link above and select “Save Link As.”

TechTalk is a space for all CTC students – high school and higher education alike – to explore and express their creative sides. The magazine’s Editorial Committee explains, “Everyone has a talent in areas outside a major. It can be photography, layout and design, writing, or other areas. TechTalk hopes to provide a platform for those other talents for as many students as we can.”

Additionally, the literary magazine affords students the opportunity to oversee layout, design, printing, writing, and photography in a real-world setting.

CTC students: if you would like to contribute, please contact Te******@**********TC.edu.

Inside This Issue:
The Fish that Got Everything Else
The Bird that Changed My Life
ZZZZZZzzzzzz….
Something to Crow About
Scoliosis
Veterinology Technology
The Mechanics of Passion: Exploring Automotive Potential
A Dog Fight
To All the Almosts

Real-World Learning for Real-World Impact

April 16, 2026

Brownstown, PA – In just one week, students at Lancaster County Career and Technology Center’s Brownstown Campus will unveil a groundbreaking, student-built Cyber-Physical City during a Cyber City Open House.

Event: Cyber City Open House
Date: April 23, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Brownstown Campus, 231 Snyder Rd., Ephrata, PA 17522

This is an ambitious, interdisciplinary project that brings together over a dozen career and technical education programs into a single, immersive experience.

Housed within the Computer Network and Security program, the city serves as a living, interactive platform where physical infrastructure, digital systems, and creative storytelling converge. The project highlights how modern industries increasingly require collaboration across disciplines, mirroring real-world environments in cybersecurity, engineering, media, and construction.

More than a dozen programs contributed to the design, construction, and operation of the city:

Computer Networking and Security – Designed and integrated the underlying digital infrastructure, cybersecurity systems, and interactive components
Cabinetmaking and Wood Technology, with Introduction to Construction Careers – Constructed the modular table system and physical structures
Commercial Art – Created visual elements, building designs, and artistic finishes throughout the city
Digital Design and Print Media – Developed signage, branding, and printed materials
Interactive Media and Web Design – Built websites and digital interfaces for city systems and businesses
Introduction to Visual Communications – Designed digital billboard advertisements
Photography and Multimedia Communications – Documented the entire build process and produced media content
Electrical Construction Technology – Wired power systems and provided electrical expertise
Plumbing – Engineered and built functional systems, including a working hydroelectric dam.
Introduction to Manufacturing Careers – Assisted in fabrication and assembly of components
Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology – Implemented automation systems, including PLC-controlled infrastructure
Painting and Interior Finishes – Completed finishing work across the city environment
Introduction to Culinary Arts – Will provide catering and hospitality for the Open House event

Visitors to the Cyber City Open House will be able to:

Explore the fully operational city environment
Interact with digital systems and student-built interfaces
See live demonstrations of automation, power systems, and networked technologies
Engage with students from each contributing program

This project goes beyond a traditional classroom assignment. Students worked collaboratively to solve real engineering, design, and cybersecurity challenges, gaining hands-on experience that reflects the complexity of modern careers.

The endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support of the Lancaster County Career and Technology Foundation. Thank you.

October 30, 2025

The fall 2025 issue of the LCCTC TechTalk literary magazine is online!

TechTalk is a space for all CTC students – high school and higher education alike – to explore and express their creative sides. In the inaugural issue, the magazine’s Editorial Committee explained, “Everyone has a talent in areas outside a major. It can be photography, layout and design, writing, or other areas. TechTalk hopes to provide a platform for those other talents for as many students as we can.”

Additionally, the literary magazine affords students the opportunity to oversee layout, design, printing, writing, and photography in a real-world setting.

CTC students: if you would like to contribute, please contact Te******@**********TC.edu.

Click the image of the cover below to view the PDF version. If you would like to save a copy of the file, right-click on the cover image and select “Save Link As.”

Inside This Issue:
Positive Reinforcement Dog Training: A Humane and Effective Approach
The Long-Lasting Chevy Engine
Pugs, So Ugly They’re Cute
Animals and Music
Healing Animals Goes Back a Long Way
Vet Techs are First Responders for Animals
Horror

Willow Street, PA — The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center is pleased to publish its Annual Report for the 2024-2025 school year. Please click the image of the cover below to view the PDF version.

From B.R. Kreider:

Brownstown, PA — Collin Goshert, Operator Assistant, for B.R. Kreider, achieved 2 remarkable accomplishments recently. First, he won 1st place in the state in the Heavy Equipment PA Skills Competition held April 2-3 and he placed 1st at the National Competition held June 25-26! Collin is the 1^st National Winner from Pennsylvania EVER!

This is the fifth year the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) has included the Heavy Equipment Operator competition. NLSC is organized by SkillsUSA and is the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce, showcasing excellence in career and technical education.

Twenty-four competitors representing 18 states gathered for the Operator event, which included 22 judged competitions across two days. The competition had 2 days of skill stations, and Goshert had 10 minutes to complete each skill, as well as complete book/written testing.

B.R. Kreider trainers, Lawrence Hershey and Heath Kreiser, along with Goshert’s Lancaster County Career & Technology Center Heavy Equipment instructor, Justin Findley, helped prepare Collin for his skills tests.

Says Findley, “From his first time operating a wheel loader to becoming not only a state champion but a national champion, he showed his determination to be the best that he could. His hard work has paid off, and as his instructor, I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments.”

Justin Bruhn, LCCTC Brownstown Campus principal, continued, “Collin, in earning the distinction of first place in Heavy Equipment Operations, has represented the excellence of his program on the national stage and we couldn’t be prouder. We thank B.R. Kreider for the company’s continued partnership in our Cooperative Education program, and in employing talented LCCTC graduates like Collin!”

Jason Groff, B.R. Kreider’s VP of Risk, Quality & Safety, who oversees their training programs and is a graduate of LCCTC’s Heavy Equipment program, added, “Collin’s commitment to learning the skills needed to become a heavy equipment operator and strong work ethic is truly commendable, not just in competitions but on the job as well. We’re happy he’s a member of the B.R. Kreider team.”

Those interested in contacting B.R. Kreider may reach out to the company’s Marketing Administrator, Michelle Wiedler, at mw******@*******ER.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.

June 4, 2025

The inaugural issue of the LCCTC TechTalk literary magazine is online!

TechTalk is a space for all CTC students – high school and higher education alike – to explore and express their creative sides. The magazine’s Editorial Committee explains, “Everyone has a talent in areas outside a major. It can be photography, layout and design, writing, or other areas. TechTalk hopes to provide a platform for those other talents for as many students as we can.”

Additionally, the literary magazine affords students the opportunity to oversee layout, design, printing, writing, and photography in a real-world setting.

Though this first issue only contains submissions from the Brownstown and Willow Street campuses, the editors emphasize that the literary magazine welcomes submissions from across all CTC campuses. CTC students: if you would like to contribute, please contact Te******@**********TC.edu.

Click the image of the cover below to view the PDF version. If you would like to save a copy of the file, right-click on the cover image and select “Save Link As.”

Inside This Issue:
My Dad, His Jimmy, and Me
My Journey in the Veterinary Field
Dog Story (Part One)
Sad Memories Linger
Miracle on Ice
Spotlight: Photography
A Little Dog Had a Big Influence
Dr. Julie Frey: A Passionate Leader Inspiring the Next Generation at Mount Joy
The Reflection
Dealing with a Narcissist
Spotlight: Digital Design and Print Media

A plumbing student in orange and a hard hat

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.

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!

On December 19th & 20th, over 70 students from our LCCTC campuses traveled to Reading -Muhlenberg CTC to compete in the Pennsylvania District SkillsUSA Competitions! Of those students, 52 placed, and 24 will head to the State Competition in Hershey, PA, in April!

Thank you to our dedicated LCCTC SkillsUSA Faculty Advisors who were with our students every step of the way: Dave Ecenrode, Brandon Green, Melody Miller, Brian Myers, Jim Smith & Rachel Sprecher.
Congratulations to our students on their outstanding performances. We can’t wait to cheer you on in April!

See a complete list below of students who placed in competition.

First Place Winners:

Hallie Adams, Adult – Dental (Post-Secondary)
Olivia Armstrong, Conestoga Valley – Extemporaneous Speaking
Brandon Balbuena-Rincon, SDoL – First Aid/CPR
Carson Brubaker, Warwick – Welding Fabrication (team of 3)
Carter Buttes, Warwick -Carpentry
Aaron Cash, Warwick – Welding
Cheston Chapman, Solanco – Sheet Metal
Alexandra Doster, Cocalico – Cake Decorating (team of 2)
Samantha Fawcett, Penn Manor – Medical Assistant
Cheyenne Helmick, Hempfield – Basic Health Care
Andrew Herman, Manheim Twp. – Cake Decorating (team of 2)
Micah Hoffman, Hempfield – Fire Fighting
Evelyn Holden, Donegal – Culinary Arts
Jadin Horn, Elizabethtown – EMT
Ryan Hottenstein, Elizabethtown – Welding Fabrication (team of 3)
Madison Johns, Elizabethtown – Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 4)
Erin Groff, Adult – CTE Demonstration (Dental)
Matthew Groff, Conestoga Valley – Welding Fabrication (team of 3)
Ellie Martin, Lampeter-Strasburg – Dental (High School)
Madison Melnick, Manheim Central – Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 4)
Jacob Miller, Elizabethtown – Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 4)
Evan Oberholtzer, Cocalico – T-shirt Design
Kayla Phillips, Penn Manor – Action Skills (Vet Assistant)
Jaziel Rodriguez, Cocalico – Job Skills A
Janelle Schaeffer, Elizabethtown – Health Knowledge Bowl (team of 4)
Maegan Shoultz, Warwick – EMT (team of 2)

Second Place Winners:

Gabby Barbosa, Warwick – Job Interview
Brayden Beck, Manheim Twp – Cabinetry
Hunter Dearolf, Penn Manor – HVAC
Laurent Duvert, Ephrata – Ind. Motor Control
Gavin Gringnon, Manheim Twp. – Building Construction
Madelyn Houck, Penn Manor – Extemporaneous Speaking
Kenneth (Ezra) Hubik, Elanco- CNC Milling/Precision Machine
Domanic Mays, Hempfied – Architectural Drafting
Achilles Powers, Elizabethtown – Plumbing
Natalee Ruiz, Manheim Twp. – Prepared Speech
Calvin Thomas, Manheim Twp. – Web Design (team of 2)
Anthony Zerebilov, Manheim Twp. – Web Design (team of 2)

Third Place Winners:

Edward Alexander, Penn Manor – Crime Scene – Protective Services (team of 3)
Jordan Curran, Ephrata – Nursing Assistant
Cory Hackman, Ephrata – Motorcycle Service Tech
Sarah Hensley, Ephrata – Cake Decorating (team of 2)
Hope Horn, Homeschool – Cake Decorating (team of 2)
Jayven Keys, Lampeter-Strasburg – Welding
Dylan Kohl, Cocalico – Auto Refinishing
Aaliyanna Labarrier, Conestoga Valley – Job Skill Demonstration A
Jayden Nye, Manheim Twp. – Collision Repair
AylaMojica, Hempfield – Commercial Art
Gavin Newswanger, Ephrata – EPH Electrical
Evan Peters, Warwick – Criminal Justice
Erika Sanchez, SDoL – Crime Scene – Protective Services (team of 3)
Mason Tippett, Hempfield – Crime Scene – Protective Services (team of 3)
Adam Wagner, Manheim Central – Carpentry

At Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, we pride ourselves on preparing students for careers in trades by providing them with real-world, hands-on experience before they even graduate high school. Our House Project at Mount Joy is a shining example of theory and practice coming together; students can put their newly acquired and refined skills to use at a full-scale residential construction site just steps from the LCCTC Mount Joy Campus.

Starting in 1989, the first house projects completed by the CTC (Then Lancaster County Vo-Tech) took place all around the county, on lots that the school procured. Students from the Construction Technologies programs were bussed back and forth to complete work at these locations. In 2005, the school decided to streamline this process and began subdividing sections of the expansive plot of land where the Mount Joy Campus sits into lots for future house projects. Since that time, 7 houses have been built in Mount Joy by our Construction Technologies programs, and select outside vendors. Two more are currently in process.

The house construction timeline takes about three years, with the first year dedicated to permits, planning, and lot preparation. The house plans are picked from submissions by our Architectural CAD/Design, and then permits are handled by Rick Martin, the Construction Manager for the house projects. In his role, Mr. Martin oversees the house projects from start to finish and ensures that students and instructors have all the materials they need and appropriate permits to hit the ground running when they are on-site.

By year two, everything is in place for work to begin at the start of the school year. Because our Carpentry Technology students are just starting in August and have limited experience, the LCCTC hires outside contractors via an open bid on our website to excavate, set the foundation, and pour a concrete basement floor. This year, those projects went to Haldeman’s Excavating, Weaver Superior Walls, and E&G Concrete. Our carpentry students are present while the contractors work to get a first-hand view of how everything is done. This year, E&G Concrete also poured a small slab for our students to practice concrete finishing techniques and instructed students on how to operate a walk-behind finishing machine.

At the start of the school year, each Construction Technology Program student works to get their OSHA Certification. Following certification our Carpentry Technology students then practice the fundamentals they will use on the house project. Once the foundation walls are set by mid-October, students can get to work framing the house. By this time, they have enough classroom experience and the proper certifications to be on the job site. Construction Manager Rick Martin notes that at this point, they also have all the wood, tools, and screws they need to complete the job.

Shortly after Holiday break, the framing will be complete, and a crane is brought in to set the roof trusses. The Carpentry Technology students then finish out the school year by finishing the roof and windows, installing insulation, and house-wrap. While this is happening, our other programs are also working on the house. HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical Construction Technology students travel to the House project from our Brownstown campus to set up the home’s inner workings – ductwork, plumbing infrastructure, and electricity. Cabinetmaking & Wood Technology students are working at the LCCTC Brownstown campus on the cabinetry that next year’s students will install during year three. By the end of the school year, the house will be ready for another outside contractor to come in and finish the drywall, as this is an advanced skill our Carpentry Technology students have within their grasp but may not be able to master at a professional level during their time in the program.

By year three house is on the fast track for finishing! Ideally, the CTC has a house in each yearly progression so students can work on both the year two and three projects in tandem. Because our full-time programs consist primarily of seniors, this allows them to work on every aspect of their program’s part of the house construction during their year of instruction. As the house project enters its third year, Rick Martin is also working with our realtor/decorator to ensure that the house meets the aesthetic of current market trends. Rick and our Realtor work together to pick the finishing touches for the home, including paint color, fixtures, tile, and appliances.

At the start of school year for the third year of the project, the drywall is ready to be primed by our Painting & Interior Finishes students. By late fall, our HVAC students return to connect the furnace and air conditioner, and ensure all are working properly. Following the Holiday break, the construction students install laminate flooring, light fixtures, and molding and assist with other programs during installation projects. Plumbing students return to set up the bathrooms and kitchen, and Cabinetmaking students install the cabinetry completed by students the previous year. Painting & Interior Finishes students put the finishing touches on walls, ceilings, and doors and install tile generously donated by Conestoga Tile. Our Carpentry Technology students install outdoor steps and sidewalks, and an outside contractor comes in to pave the driveway.

By the time students reach the end of the school year, the year three house project should be nearly complete and ready for market, with only a few punch list items to complete. The most recent LCCTC home completed was a three-bedroom, two and a half bath that sold in July of 2022, for $415,900. The money from the home sales goes back to fund our programs and ensure the future of the house projects for years to come.

This year, Mr. Martin reports that things are moving ahead of schedule, and we are looking forward to the year three house on Fairview Road hitting the market in the Summer of 2024. Each house project represents the hard work of hundreds of our LCCTC students and instructors and the outstanding community partnerships the CTC has forged with local companies. By allowing our students to work and gain experience on a residential site, we are training a new generation of skilled workers needed in our local community and for our economy.

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