Career Technical Education

Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students with the opportunity to acquire real-life skills to prepare them for successful, continuing education or entry-level career positions. Each CTE course offers relevant project-based activities modeled by professionals from the field. Doty CTE courses feed directly into the CTE courses at Downey High School. 

Why should you participate in CTE?

• Explore career interests and goals
• Learn employability and job skills
• Create a personal portfolio
• Obtain work experience and on-the-job training
• Prepare for advanced career training
• Compete in industry competitions

Intro to Law/Mock Trial

Doty Middle School offers an Intro to Mock Trial/Law class where students have an opportunity to participate in the Los Angeles Mock Trial Competition (fall class). Students study and assume the role of a witness or attorney in a modified criminal case. The class culminates in a trial held in a real courtroom with a real judge presiding over the case. Students obtain experience and develop skills in debate, public speaking, acting, and analytical problem solving as they discover what it’s like to be an attorney.

DTV: Video Production

DTV is our ever-popular, daily video production class. This class develops planning, organization, scriptwriting, interpersonal communication, team building, and media literacy skills. Students rotate all video production-related jobs, from behind-the-scenes camera operation, news-story research, and soundboard operation to on-air anchor positions, allowing them to learn about the various stages and responsibilities involved in the production of a news broadcast. Our students gain experience in shooting videos, doing sound recordings and engineering, editing, and broadcasting.  

The video announcements spread information and news throughout our classrooms, providing opportunities for students to write, produce, listen, and learn. The video announcements, scripted, filmed, and published by our students, support and sustain our positive school culture, creating a sense of connectedness and community on our campus. A sense of unity is generated, and school values and energy spread like wildfire!

Project Lead the Way

The STEM elective classes prepare you for the “real world” with hands-on activities, projects and problem based-challenges. Many former students confess how these classes gave them a competitive edge in college and the job market. These classes focuses on learning how to be professional and to be a great team member. You can say that these classes prepare you for jobs that do not currently exist. Now that you are intrigued, here are some brief descriptions of the classes.

Design and Modeling

Students apply the design process to solve problems and understand the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They work in teams to design a playground and furniture, capturing research and ideas in their engineering notebooks. Using Autodesk® design software, students create a virtual image of their designs and produce a portfolio to showcase their innovative solutions. Students in class participate in the DMS Robotics Team.

7th and 8th grade, semester-long

Green Architecture

Green Architecture is a Project Lead The Way course that incorporates engineering, sustainability, and creativity. Students learn how to design rooms and homes through a sustainable lens in this engaging, fun, hands-on semester-long class. Students learn drafting techniques to draw buildings to scale and put their designs in 3D form on an advanced design program. The class also teaches students to build structures using scaled building equipment while applying math principles. Students design structures like classrooms, bedrooms, shipping container homes, and sheds. Hands-on learning at its best!.

7th grade or 8th grade, semester-long

Robotics

Students in this program trace the history, development, and influence of automation and robotics as they learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, and computer control systems. Students use the VEX Robotics platform to design, build, and program real-world objects. In addition to learning engineering skills, students gain life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, communication, collaboration, project management, and critical thinking.  A foundational literacy in robotics coupled with strong tech skills will have a significant advantage for our students as they pursue STEM-related courses in their secondary, undergraduate, and graduate education and when applying for jobs across virtually all industries.

7th and 8th grade, year long