Carbon Career and Technical Institute's Joint Operating Committee got an opportunity to hear all about the triumphant premiere at the Carbon County Oratory Competition during Thursday's meeting.

Senior Auto Service and Technology student Alex Groller presented the student report, where he explained a bit about the recent competition, his first prize win and the extraordinary talents of his female counterpart, Rachael Dickson."My speech was on motocross, because I really enjoy it as a sport. Hers was about the benefits and disadvantages of a book becoming a movie, she did a great report on that, and how those two opinions play a part."Each school at the annual competition had the opportunity to send one male and one female student, who would present a speech on a topic of their choice.Marie Johns and Katya Fitzpatrick of Blue Ridge TV-13 served as judges for the event.Groller's speech focused on the physical wear and tear upon the motocross rider, as well as the hefty amount of endurance necessary to compete in the events, which he has done for years."I think Alex was a little bit too modest here," English teacher Mike Wildoner, who served as adviser to Groller and Dickson, said. "This was the first year that CCTI was invited to attend the Carbon County Oratory Contest. The kids were pretty excited. I met with them a few times, and they put their best foot forward."Wildoner was incredibly proud of his students' first appearance at the competition, telling the board that Dickson, a marketing sophomore, was a force to be reckoned with, and almost certainly a contender for next year's competition."First time up there, Alex took first place in the male category. Rachael Dickson did a fantastic job as well. Keep your eyes and ears open, she's an up-and-coming superstar here. If there's a young lady who is going to break the glass ceiling in the corporate world, Rachael Dickson is it," he said.Other news• The salary of social studies teacher Jean Bales was increased to $54,881, a $600 bump for attaining a Master/Master Equivalent ranking.• The salary for the adviser of the Student Forum for the 2017-2018 school year was set at $1,600.• Kevin Kuehner was reaffirmed as a teacher mentor to Jeffrey Hazelton, carpentry instructor, for the stipend of $750, prorated through Nov. 19, 2016.• Ashleigh Papay was appointed as a homebound instructor for the 2016-2017 school year on an as-needed basis at an hourly rate of $25.• Jeremy Pease, National Technical Honor Society Advisor was approved to chaperon 15 National Technical Honor Society senior students on a field trip to Washington, D.C., on May 19 and 20, at a cost of $2,270.94 to cover a portion of transportation, meal and lodging expenses.• A motion to set the number of students who meet the 2017-2018 admissions requirements for the Freshman Exploratory Program at 10 per district was approved. At the current time, the carpentry, graphic design, precision machine technology and welding programs are fully enrolled and are not accepting ninth grade applicants.• SkillsUSA was approved to host a fundraiser car show on the CCTI campus onMay 13.• The Joint Operating Committee acknowledged the receipt of the resolution regarding the 2017-2018 proposed operating budget for CCTI, calling for receipts and expenditures amounting to $8,210,852. Lehighton, Palmerton, Panther Valley and Weatherly school districts all cast eight votes in approval, with one voter absent in each district. Jim Thorpe Area School District cast nine votes in approval.