By Katie Dubnik
At Destin High School, the goal for students isn’t just success in the classroom – it’s success in life. That is why school administrators and teachers have developed a well-rounded curriculum that includes an innovative approach to Career and Technical Education (CTE), including business and cybersecurity instruction.
Destin High School’s CTE faculty has honed coursework based on Florida state standards and their own in-depth knowledge, resulting in hands-on, practical training designed to deliver academic and career success. “We believe that Career and Technical Education offers a type of instruction that is both unique and can make an immediate impact in the lives of our students. That’s why the leadership at Destin High wants to make sure that we offer CTE courses that are not only fun for students but valuable in terms of life and career skills,” said Dr. Willy Williams, executive director of Destin High School (DHS). “Our CTE teachers are fully supportive of our mission, and that’s why they go out of their way to design courses that are informative and fun. Their whole goal is to help our students excel in life and prepare them for success.”
Destin High CTE teachers Kelly Tucker (business) and Jimaco (JC) Hollis (cybersecurity) continually assess and adapt their curricula to changes in their respective fields. “Every summer we analyze our program. We ask how the job market is developing and try to determine where our students will be in four to five years,” said JC Hollis. “Most schools teach cybersecurity as it is/was. We teach it as it will be, so our students walk out the door both college-ready and job-ready. The coursework never sits still, and we rebuild every summer; it keeps me sharp and keeps students on the edge of what’s real.”
Tucker also believes the key for her students is an innovative and responsive lesson plan based on the realities of the modern marketplace. “What makes teaching business courses especially rewarding is the opportunity to connect classroom learning to the real world,” Tucker said. “Whether I’m teaching entrepreneurship, marketing, business management, or leadership, I want my students to understand that business is more than textbooks, terminology, and assignments.”
After spending more than 20 years in corporate roles and earning a master’s degree in business management and leadership, Tucker understands what it takes to succeed in the business world. She uses hands-on projects, digital textbooks, online simulations and coaching from industry professionals in her classes. Students also have the chance to gain three transferable college credits and test for industry certifications. “I decided to make a very intentional career transition into education. I wanted to take the knowledge, experiences, successes, and even lessons learned from my years in the business world and use them to help prepare the next generation for their own professional journeys,” Tucker said. “I am now in my fifth year teaching business education here, and I can honestly say that I love what I do.”
Tucker also serves as the school’s liaison for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), where students develop leadership skills and participate in competitive events. DHS’s FBLA chapter recently completed its statewide competition in Orlando and earned the “Gold Seal Chapter Award” for its accomplishments. “The talent level at state this year was insane, but I can honestly say that this group showed up and showed out in support of each other,” Tucker said. “We are making waves and others are taking note! I am beyond proud of this group of business Sharks!”
Destin High students are putting their knowledge to work, starting businesses such as lawn care companies, waste bin washing services and apparel design. Two Shark alumni have already found success with their own companies: Kaison Mauffray runs golf cart rental business Hi Tide Rentals, and Ella Harris opened the online Alice Faith Boutique.
Upon realizing her dream, Harris contacted Tucker to thank her, telling her former teacher, “You are the one who inspired me to pursue this journey, so I thought I should tell you! Thank you for all you did for me through school and the insight you shared.” Harris’s boutique can be found at alicefaith.com.
Tucker expects an eager group of 30-plus students in her 2026-27 entrepreneurship class.
Meanwhile, Destin High’s cybersecurity program is only in its second year. Launched in fall 2025 with a $100,000 Florida CAP workforce grant, DHS’s cybersecurity pathway is built around four domains: cyber defense and detection engineering, AI security and governance, intelligent infrastructure and quantum fundamentals. “Our cybersecurity program follows Florida’s Applied Cybersecurity pathway, and that alone puts our students in rare company,” Hollis said. “Nationally, only about one percent of high school students have access to a complete cybersecurity pathway. At Destin High, 100 percent of our students do. Our goal is simple: students graduate with real, verifiable skills, not just exposure. Along the way they earn nationally recognized industry certifications through CompTIA, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and IT Specialist – the same credentials that employers use – and every certification is earned at zero cost to families.”
During their time in the DHS cybersecurity program, students get to “sniff” live network traffic, crack encryptions and build their own, hack systems in the lab and study the social engineering tricks attackers use on real people. They build their own AI agents, use AI to attack and defend and even build games. Students learn to code in Python and Bash in the same Linux environments professionals use. In advanced courses, students hunt intrusions, analyze real attack traffic and write detection rules that catch attacks. “It’s the stuff of movies, done for real, safely, in a controlled lab,” said Hollis. “Teaching was always my plan. I spent 20 years in retail management first, and now I get to do my dream job every day.”
Hollis endeavors to stay at the forefront of trends in a rapidly changing field. “Technology moves too fast for a static curriculum, so we built one designed to move with it.”
Cybersecurity is also a growing field. There are more than 514,000 open cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 29% job growth through 2034 – a rate nearly 10 times the average occupation – with a median salary of $124,910. Florida is also one of the country’s top cybersecurity hiring states, with job opportunities close to Destin. “With Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, and the defense contracting community in our backyard, our students are sitting on top of the demand,” Hollis said. “A Shark who graduates with certifications and hands-on lab experience isn’t hoping for an opportunity, they’re walking into one.”
For Destin High, CTE is about preparing students to recognize and take advantage of those opportunities. “Our entire CTE faculty works very hard, and you can tell the students get so much out of the curriculum – not only that, but our students also learn in an environment that they truly enjoy. And as an administrator, that’s incredibly gratifying to see,” Williams added.
For more information on Destin High School’s CTE curriculum or to learn more about the school, visit destinhighschool.org, call 850-204-4044 or stop by the campus at 4325 Commons Drive West in Destin.
