Students advance their professional skills through Microsoft classes and certifications
** UPDATE** We're excited to announce that two Sky View students have been named the champions for Utah state. Grace Weaver is Utah's MOS Excel Exam champion and Carter Chatterton is Utah's MOS Word Exam champion! Both students have been invited to the 2021 MOS US National Championship. Congratulations, Grace and Carter, and best of luck!
Each year hundreds of students in Cache County School District are working to gain a competitive edge in the job market by becoming Microsoft Office Specialists. Students who become Microsoft Office Specialists are certified in programs like Word, Excel or Powerpoint, and develop other skills that will benefit them in our increasingly technological world.
Ridgeline High School teacher, Joseph Johnson, said that arming students with these skills gives them a definite advantage over students who may not have them. “Having Microsoft Office Specialist certifications listed on a resume could mean securing a job over those who do not have these important qualifications,” he explained. “Business Office Specialist (BOS) students gain a keen ability to read and follow technical instructions, thus increasing their vocabulary and cultivating valuable critical-thinking skills.”
Through Business Office Specialist classes taught at CCSD high schools, students have the opportunity to become certified in these Microsoft programs and even compete at a state and national level. In order to qualify for the national competition, students must earn the highest score out of all of the students in their state in the program of their choice. Twelve students from each state move on to nationals.
Fall and spring qualifying competitions are held to determine which students may move on to the national level. Two of CCSD’s high schools ranked first in the state after the fall qualifier — Sky View received the first place ranking for Word 2019, while Mountain Crest placed first in PowerPoint 2019.
Janae Smith helps teach the BOS classes at both Ridgeline and Green Canyon High Schools. She said the most rewarding part of teaching this program is watching students gain new skills.
“Whether students pass the certification tests or not, every student leaves the class with abilities and knowledge they didn't have before,” Smith said. “My favorite thing is watching students light up and smile as they achieve scores that make them happy and reward them for their persistence in practicing and learning new skills.”