You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.
About me
Nicole Linenberger is a Culinary Arts and Career and Technical Education instructor at Hays High School whose program exemplifies the mission of CTE: preparing students with authentic technical skills, leadership opportunities, and meaningful workforce experience. Through innovative programming, strong community partnerships, and structured experiential learning, she has developed a culinary program that moves far beyond traditional classroom instruction.
Mrs. Linenberger teaches baking and pastry I and II, and advanced culinary courses structured around real-world production systems. She leads and manages a fully student-operated catering and bakery business that functions as an active school enterprise. Students participate in all aspects of operation including production scheduling, scaled recipe execution, food cost calculation, packaging and labeling compliance, and fulfillment of weekly sales and catering orders. This structure provides students with applied entrepreneurship experience and measurable workplace readiness skills prior to graduation.
Community engagement is embedded throughout her program. Culinary students prepare food weekly for the high school pantry and regularly provide catering services for school and community events. In addition, her students have been selected to cater for a wedding this spring, requiring professional client communication, large-scale production coordination, strict food safety adherence, and service execution under real industry timelines. These opportunities ensure students graduate with authentic workforce experience and professional confidence.
Mrs. Linenberger serves as the FACS Department Chair and is an active member of the District Building Leadership Team, where she helps guide instructional priorities and supports schoolwide improvement efforts. She supports student leadership through FCCLA and contributes to Career and Technical Education statewide through her service as Secretary of the KATFACS Board. She also participates in K-ACTE, further extending her impact across the profession.
Her work demonstrates sustained instructional innovation, strong student outcomes, and meaningful service to both her school and the CTE Community.
