The Okaloosa County School District held its largest-ever Career and Technical Education Signing Day on Wednesday, honoring 380 graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 who are stepping into college, the workforce or military service.

• The seventh annual event filled the Mattie Kelly Arts Center on the campus of Northwest Florida State College, a stark contrast to the ceremony’s humble beginnings in a small school board room where schools cycled in one at a time.

“When I think about being here at the Mattie Kelly Arts building and all the seats that it represents, and we go back to seven years ago, we were in a small room and every school was not in there at the same time,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “This is a big deal for our school district.”

Of the seniors recognized, 288 will pursue post-secondary education, 48 have committed to military service and 44 will enter the workforce directly. Students represented Baker School, Choctawhatchee, Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Laurel Hill and Niceville high schools.

Crestview High School led the district with 121 student signees, followed by Niceville with 89, Fort Walton Beach with 60, Choctawhatchee with 52, Baker with 28, Laurel Hill with 19 and Destin with 11.

• The district’s CTE program has grown to 8,236 students enrolled across 22 programs, with students earning 3,443 industry certifications last year.

Keynote from NWFSC president

Northwest Florida State College President Mel Ponder served as the keynote speaker, telling students they each have a purpose and calling in life.

“We are our community’s college, and I’m grateful the board has given me the privilege to serve,” Ponder said. “Any chance to have someone on campus is a great honor.”

Ponder shared “life nuggets about character, integrity, building a foundation, releasing hope, building a legacy” with the graduating seniors.

• “At the end of the day, one of the biggest things I wanted to remind everyone is they have a purpose and a calling in their life,” Ponder said. “And the message I hope hit their heart today is to make them feel valued, honored and celebrated.”

Sixty-seven of the recognized students have committed to continuing their education at Northwest Florida State College.

Ponder described the relationship between the college and school district as vital.

“We’re all part of the same community. We’re all meant to be on the same team, function with each other hand in glove,” Ponder said. “I compliment Superintendent Chambers and the great work he’s doing as he’s building these men and women of character, building their skills, their trades, really helping them step into a next season of purpose and call.”

A shift in mindset

Chambers said the growth of CTE reflects a broader cultural shift away from the idea that every student must attend a four-year college.

“Even when I started my career in teaching, it was you had to go to college,” Chambers said. “But now I think there’s a sentiment where folks understand college, the military, the workforce, it’s important.”

The superintendent pointed to the Building Trades program as an example of how CTE coursework has evolved.

• “The Building Trades program, for example, when I was in school, I built a nice little shelf, so to speak,” Chambers said. “But now these kids are working on architecture, they’re working on budgets, and they’re building structures. So it’s a completely different world.”

School Board Member Tim Bryant, who has served on the board for the entire seven-year run of the signing day, said the event resonates with him personally as someone who entered the workforce directly after high school.

“I grew up in a generation when everybody was expected to go to a four-year college,” Bryant said. “Now our mindset is that not every kid’s going to go to college. In Okaloosa County, we offer a wide variety of great programs that will get them ready for a career in automotive or computers or whatever.”

Bryant said the expansion of CTE has contributed to higher graduation rates by keeping students engaged through certifications.

“Being a person that did not go to a four-year college and just went straight into the work field, I couldn’t be more excited about this,” Bryant said. “I’m living proof that you don’t necessarily have to go to college to be a successful person in life.”

Expanding the pipeline

CTE Director Jennifer Beasley called the ceremony her favorite day of the year.

“We are celebrating close to 400 of our graduating seniors who are program completers in our career and technical education program,” Beasley said. “And those students are signing letters of intent in one of three areas. Either they’re furthering their education, enlisting in the armed forces, or going into the workforce.”

Beasley said the district is focused on growing its artificial intelligence program at the high school level, which was added at Niceville this year, and continues to evaluate new programs based on workforce needs.

Chambers said the district’s goal is to build a pipeline from elementary school to the workforce, rather than the traditional sixth-through-12th-grade model.

• “We’ve been slowly working with drones. We’ve been slowly working with robotics at the elementary level,” Chambers said. “So we want to take it to a higher level next year..”

Chambers said Florida is close to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ goal of becoming the No. 1 state in the nation for workforce development, and Okaloosa County is doing its part by aligning programs with local industry shortages in nursing, building trades, cybersecurity, robotics, welding and automotive.

“When you hear about the student who graduated from Crestview High School, and he’s making six figures,” Chambers said. “It’s a source of pride when you see these kids not only staying here locally, but also making a good wage.”

To parents of younger students weighing whether CTE is the right fit, Chambers offered simple advice: get involved.

“This world is changing. By the time your elementary student graduates high school, there’s going to be jobs that aren’t even created yet today,” Chambers said. “Getting involved on the CTE side of things, the STEM side of things, helps students think critically. It helps them problem-solve, but it also helps set that pipeline towards these future jobs.”