LAWTON — Kyle Thomas stood behind a counter at the Great Plains Technology Center, listening as a customer ordered a slice of pizza.
After taking the order, Thomas turned to a pan containing several slices of pizza. He plated one slice and handed it to the customer, then turned to help the next person in line.
A senior at Eisenhower High School, Thomas is studying culinary arts at Great Plains Technology Center. The culinary arts program is one of 70 career majors at the school, 4500 SW Lee Blvd.
Thomas, who started taking classes at Great Plains two years ago, said he is enjoying the experience.
“I love this program,” he said. “The people I work with in here are just amazing, and a lot of the skills I’m learning are interesting and very practical.”
Thomas and other culinary arts students dished up pizza slices Friday afternoon for people who flocked to Great Plains to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.
50 years of education
When Great Plains Technology Center opened its doors in September 1971, the vocational school consisted of a single building on a tract of prairie land in as-yet-undeveloped southwest Lawton, according to the school’s website.
The school, which was then known as Great Plains Area Vocational and Technical School, started its first semester with 531 students from six high schools. Those students could choose among seven different vocational programs.
Fifty years later, Great Plains trains more than 1,100 high school and adult students and offers more than 70 career majors, according to the school’s website. The school — which changed its name to Great Plains Technology Center in 2000 — also offers classes for business and personal development, as well as industrial training and business services.
People who completed Great Plains’ trade or technical programs have earned state certification, which allowed them to move into higher-paying, in-demand jobs such as welders or auto mechanics, Superintendent Clarence Fortney said Monday. He said some Great Plains students who were trained as multi-craft technicians have gone on to work at the Goodyear plant in Lawton.