Recognizing stars at the 6th Annual CTAE Awards Ceremony

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The school year is drawing to a close, it’s the time to recognize the hard work and achievements of students. The Peach County High School Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Program did just that during the Annual CTAE Awards Ceremony. 

Peach County High School and the Peach Regional Chamber of Commerce held their 65th annual Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Award ceremony at the Peach County High School Gymnasium on Monday, May 18. 

In addition to the recognition of students who have completed career pathways, the Peach Regional Chamber of Commerce—who are sponsors of the Peach County Schools’ CTAE Program—recognizes and celebrates the successes of the top CTAE students at PCHS known as the Pathway Stars. 

The 2025-2026 CTAE Pathway Star Candidates were Victoria Byrd and Angel Granados-Ceron in Agriculture; McKenzie Gatlin in Audio/Video, Film Technology; Priscila Ruiz-Hernandez and Susan Rozier in Automotive Technologies; Trusha Patel and Zaylah Billings in Business and Technology; Robert Burnette in Computer Sciences; and Aniya Oxford and Jessica Peterson in Healthcare.

The 2025-2026 Pathway Stars are Byrd in Agriculture; Gatlin in Audio/Video, Film Technology; Ruiz-Hernandez in Automotive Technologies; Patel in Business and Technology; Burnette in Computer Sciences; and both Oxford and Peterson in Healthcare.

From these Pathway Stars, usually one student was selected to be the CTAE All-Star Student. The 2024-2025 “Minnie R. Booker” CTAE All-Star is Trusha Patel. She then named Kristi Riley, the PCHS Business & Management teacher as the CTAE All-Star Instructor.

Due to the growing support of the Peach County Schools CTAE programs, this year featured multiple sponsors and scholarships. 

According to the Peach Regional Chamber’s website; “The Peach County High School Career, Technical, and Agriculture Education (CTAE) Program prepares students for their next step after high school. Whether it’s college, starting an exciting career, or maybe even joining the military, our students are a step ahead! The CTAE Pathway course offerings at the high school are diverse, covering a variety of high-demand career options and they are excellent environments for students to immerse themselves in engaging, hands-on learning experiences to better prepare them for gainful, fulfilling employment.”