Watauga High School

But we can't get solely focused on individual industries that if crisis hits, we can't find diversity and other opportunities.

We talked earlier about Watauga High School's strong CTE program that has been enhanced by Rise Caldwell Watauga, which placed Watauga students in paid apprenticeships at UNC Health Appalachian just this year.

It's a great funnel into a robust network of community colleges on this side of the state.

11 of them, in fact, including Caldwell Community College, which recently made a multimillion dollar investment in training labs for healthcare careers on its Watauga campus.

I've seen firsthand the dedication of the teachers and the numerous opportunities that students are given to explore their areas of interest and develop not just as students, but as people.

And I can compare it to my own high school experience in a different state and see how much stronger my son is coming out of Watauga High School.

We're doing a lot of things well, so it means continuing to support our successful efforts, but also identifying areas for improvement or places where certain students may slip through the cracks and not be as well served.

Most importantly, I'm committed to public schools because I see their value to society as a whole, not just because I'm a teacher who cares about education, not just because I'm a parent who cares about my own child, but because I'm a citizen who knows the value of public education to the functioning of our democracy and economy.

All right, we move on to the next question, and that will be started by Megan Kornhauser.

About two out of three North Carolina jobs now require training or a credential beyond high school.

This year, Watauga High School students began earning paid, hands-on experience with local employers through a new program called Rise Caldwell Watauga.

As a school board member, how would you build on work-based learning like this so more students graduate ready for good paying local careers, including those not headed for a four-year college?

The guy's been in office for 40 years.

You know, this guy got elected the first time when I was a senior in high school up at Watauga High School.

So, you know, th- this is a guy who's been around for far too long.

Uh, he's running from the basement right now.