Celebrating February as CTSO Appreciation Month

by Avery Falatek, PWHS Class of 2027

Plymouth Whitemarsh is home to many various CTSOs competing in our region. What is a CTSO? CTSO stands for a Career and Technical Student Organization, which may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. 

Each club has a type of career their student focuses on. DECA and FBLA are centered around business, TSA is STEM careers, HOSA is for future medical professionals, and SkillsUSA teaches technical, personal, and workplace skills. But knowing their focus still doesn’t give you a good idea of what they are or what they actually do. 

All of these clubs have similar formats. There is a district/regional competition, then students have the opportunity to advance to the state or national level. At these competitions, students compete by essentially giving presentations about a chosen topic within their career field. Sometimes the presentations are prepared ahead of time, while others are giving a scenario and prompt on the spot to respond to.

These organizations are an excellent way for students to not only gain real world experience in their desired career, but also form a sense of community with the other students involved. Olivia Ross stated that HOSA “not only improved her medicine specific skills, but also helped her communication and professional skills immensely." DECA member Devon McLafferty said that she is grateful of DECA for helping her “gain real world business skills and connect with industry professionals.” 

The students within these clubs are the most hardworking and are the reason why our PW chapters thrive.

Most of these clubs are currently gearing up for their state competitions that are quickly approaching. DECA compete at the Hershey Lodge in February! TSA, HOSA, FBLA, and SkillsUSA all have a little while to go before they start theirs. HOSA will also be competing at Hershey from March 11th-12th. TSA has their state conference April 16th-18th, and FBLA has theirs April 13th-15th. SkillsUSA is competing at Hershey from April 8th-10th. 

Make sure you take some time this month to celebrate anyone you know within these clubs. We are so proud of all the students who will be competing and we wish them all the best in their events!

Career and Technical Student Organizations give real world experience. Read more in this article by Avery Falatek.