Excel TECC,  is the careers technical education programs. In Excel TECC there are 26 programs, 25 of them taking two years and one of them, marketing, taking only one. Excel TECC is made of ten school districts meaning that kids in the programs are spread out at different districts depending on what program they participate in.

This brings up a question with Excel TECC and how it is reacting with the epidemic. With the programs happening at different schools, it’s up to the district where the program is based to decide whether the program is virtual or in-person.

According to Transition Coordinator, Mary Ellen Simecek, Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools and Aurora City School District are both in-person.  Mayfield City School District will be in-person starting October 5 and Beachwood and Brush have been following a hybrid schedule since September 21. Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools and Orange City School District both plan on staying virtual for the time being.

“Willoughby-Eastlake has been in session,” Simecek said. “Their in session five days a week, so our Solon students that  go to a program housed in Willoughby-Eastlake, they do their academics virtually with Solon and their go in person to there program at Willoughby-Eastlake.”

 Junior Danielle Merkin in the Digital art program at Aurora has to go in person and prefers it that way.

“I think it’s really awesome because we work a lot with cameras and taking pictures and just physically learning hands on,” Merkin said. “It’s really hard to [virtually] learn about how a camera works and the shutter.”

Junior Colin Lewis who goes to Mayfield for Information Technology & Programming (ITP) is virtual for now but is happy that it will soon change to in-person.

“I don’t think it could be done any other way, what we’re doing now in ITP is fine online but the things we’re doing later this year I don’t think can be done at home,” Lewis said.

Each Excel TECC program has to do what they think is right. Whether that is virtual, in person or hybrid. All the districts can do is look at the information in the world right now and make an educated decision for what is best for their students.