22-05-2025
Bertie County Schools building new Career and Technical Education Center
WINDSOR, N.C. (WNCT) — Bertie County Schools marked a historic milestone by breaking ground for their new Career and Technical Education Center on Monday May 12th, 2025.
The 30,000 square foot project will be attached to the back of Bertie High School.
Bertie High School currently have to bus students across the street for trade classes such as HVAC, welding, cosmetology, carpentry, and more at their old district office and early college buildings. The new building will feature brand new state of the art equipment and will save money and instructional time.
'CTE in this particular case stands for Catch the Excitement. Bertie has great things going on for our students,' Wanda Cofield, CTE Director for Bertie County Schools said.
'These students are going to be hands-on. It's one thing to go into instruction with the book and just talk about it, but when they can actually get hands on experience, that gives them that opportunity of pride and know this is the pathway that they want to take,' Cofield said.
The project was made possible by a $15 million dollar grant from the NC Education Lottery along with approval from the County. Construction is estimated to be completed with students learning hands-on in the facility by the 2026-27 school year.
'At Bertie High School we focus on the three 'E's' enrollment, employment, and enlisting. Enrollment, this facility is going to encourage some of these students to go to the local community college and expand on the trades. Employment by taking the education and training that they receive here and applying it straight into the work force. So, they will be able to achieve at least two of those objectives with this new facility right here at Bertie High School,' William Peele III, Principal of Bertie High School said.
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