Jennifer Coe arrives at high school
Stella Chilcote, reporter

Jennifer Coe, the new CTE office manager, has been warmly welcomed by the school community. Coe will be taking on the role of leading the high school’s CTE programs and assisting students with their required community service hours.

Coe has lived on Vashon for 22 years and has done social work for Vashon Household, supporting low-income families. She also has experience working with the food bank to help students get their community service hours.

“Right now, the biggest challenge [as CTE manager] is that there’s so much to learn because I’m going to be doing a bunch of different things,” Coe said. “There’s a lot to learn within the CTE program, and there’s a lot to learn about how the high school works.”

Coe says she’s very familiar with the non-profit organizations and is looking forward to helping students find the perfect fit for their community service hours.

Currently, Coe is helping with the course guide and assisting the counselors with additional tasks.

She believes CTE classes are important because they offer a productive way to be introduced to the workforce and thinks they are a great option for students to experience a wider variety of jobs.

“The [CTE] program offers an additional pathway to get into the workforce and a different way to experience high school,” Coe said. “For some students, it’s a really great option and provides another alternative because everyone’s not the same, so it’s nice to have different options for different people.”

Coe is excited to become a part of the school, as well as having school breaks again.

“It’s lovely, it’s so much more mellow than I remember my high school being. There seems to be a high level of respect between the students and the staff,” Coe said. “I hear lots of laughter and people seem to be very kind, and the staff are all dedicated to their work. It feels really good to be here.”

Coe’s desk is always open to students who want to visit and she hopes to forge close bonds with as many students as possible.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody, … being part of the high school culture,” Coe said. “I’m really excited to be a part of this community and learn and meet people and grow, and it feels like a perfect fit.”