Perryville Area Career & Technology Center- PACTC

CONGRATS to our Transportation Department for receiving 100% on State Bus Inspections this Spring! 💯 🚌

It was an honor to attend the groundbreaking ceremony today at Perryville Regional Airport for the new Ranken Southeast Aircraft Maintenance Technical School. Two existing hangers will be renovated for the purpose of training aircraft mechanics.

Kudos to the many people and agencies who have worked and planned together for a long time to provide this opportunity. This is a big win for our region!

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Great opportunity!

Career exploration starts earlier than you might think.

At Ranken’s Summer Adventure Academy in Perryville, students spend their time building projects, exploring technology, creating with their hands, and trying out skills connected to real careers.

Focused in on welding and diesel projects, these camps are designed for curious middle and high school students who like learning by doing.

⚠️ Remaining spots are limited.

Tag a parent who needs to see this! 🔽

🔗 https://ranken.edu/adventureacademy

Yesterday, we celebrated several of our staff!
-Leonard Schumer: Retiring as our custodian....Leonard is the biggest fan of the Pirates and will be greatly missed!
-Emily Brown: Will be having a baby this summer!
-Isaac Branson: Will be leaving our Auto Collision program to rejoin the private sector. Isaac has been a road warrior the last two years, driving from nearly Poplar Bluff each day!
-Katie Burns: Will be leaving our Ag program to begin her career in the private sector. Katie is a proud alum of PCSD32 and we appreciated her willingness to help our kids this past school year!
-Joel Kurre: recognized for 30 years of service!
-Sharon Buehler: recognized for 20 years of service!
-Chris Tripp: recognized for 10 years of service!

THANK YOU for the trust you place in us to strengthen our students both personally and professionally. Our core values are to act with honor and integrity, to maintain high expectations for ourselves and our students, to support and value each other, and to be a champion for students by always being a merchant of hope! As we close the 2025-2026 school year, thank you for sharing your students with us, and congrats to all graduates from our sending schools!

PERRYVILLE CHESTER DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION PARTNERS WITH STUDENTS TO CREATE BRIDGE OPENING CELEBRATION LOGO

May 7, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PERRYVILLE, MO – The Perryville & Chester Economic Development Corporation (P&C) is pleased to announce a partnership with the Perryville Area Career and Technology Center’s graphic design class to design the logo and collateral material for the opening celebration of the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge. All students in the class participated by creating their own logos, and a committee established by the P&C selected the winning logo designed by student, Tegan Barnett.

The theme for the opening celebration event is patriotic red, white, and blue to pay homage to the 250th anniversary of the United States. Tegan’s patriotic logo displays renderings of the old and new bridge, and the fireworks background captured the celebratory nature of the event.

This historic event will feature the logo created by Tegan and will be used on all collateral material created for the event, including commemorative t-shirts, programs, and invitations. Tegan is the daughter of Amber Crites and Christopher Barnett. She is a senior at Saxony Lutheran High School in Jackson.

“We were excited to partner with the Perryville Area Career and Technology Center to give students this type of experiential learning opportunity,” said Perryville Chester Development Corporation president Tom Welge. “We are very appreciative of the work put into the project by all the graphic design students and their instructor, Alissa Ernst.”

The date of the opening celebration is being planned for July 2026. For more information on the event, please contact Crystal Jones, Perry County Economic Development Authority at [email protected].

About the P&C: The Perryville & Chester Economic Development Corporation was established in 1986 to promote business, industrial, and economic growth in Perry County, Missouri, and Randolph County, Illinois. Founded through a regional partnership that included the late Don Welge, former CEO of Gilster-Mary Lee, the organization continues to advance economic development opportunities and strengthen collaboration between the two communities, linked by the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge.

Yet another example from last week: We love that our programs help students discover something that they OBSESS about…in the best way! The most successful people pour themselves into projects with passion, purpose and persistence. This young man deserves a shout out….On Ethan’s last day at PHS, he was committed and focused on fixing the power board of this mini CNC machine. We are so proud of his effort and skill…and yes, obsession!

We love that our programs help students discover something that they OBSESS about…in the best way! The most successful people pour themselves into projects with passion, purpose and persistence. This young man deserves a shout out….Wyatt graduated from Meadow Heights last Thursday night, and was in our auto collision shop early the next morning! We are so proud of his effort and skill…and yes, obsession!

👀 🔥 MORE SNEAK PEEKS! 👀 🔥
We are putting the finishing touches on the house built by our Construction Technology students…look at the natural stone in the front…the wide porch and flared sidewalk…the kitchen…the floors…the master bathroom!