May 21, 2025: by Wave Staff Report © The Port Lavaca Wave 2025

Four Calhoun High School (CHS) students signed letters of intent to work for Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. Texas at Calhoun County ISD’s (CCISD) Career & Technical Education Certification Celebration on May 13.

The event was hosted to recognize CHS students who have earned industry-relevant certifications. This was the first year that Formosa Plastics provided job offers to students in the process technology classes who have met requirements for employment with the Formosa Training & Development Program at the certification celebration.

“We are always searching for great employees to add to our winning team. Last year, CCISD and Formosa partnered together to identify outstanding talent so that we could extend job offers to the best of the best. Today, we drafted a few CCISD MVPs to join the Formosa Team as Process Operator Trainees,” said Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. Texas Assistant Vice President and General Manager Mike Rivet.

The four students – Avner Silva, Jason Haubert, Jack Sharp, and Torre Castillo – were selected, said Rivet, for their achievements and hard work in school.

“Silva received the PTAC award for the highest academic average for the school year. Silva understands about being on a winning team already as he was a part of the Calhoun High School Powerlifting team. One of Silva’s instructors commented on how Silva’s actions frequently speak louder than his words.

Haubert understands overcoming obstacles to achieve his dreams. Haubert showed incredible determination to excel in class even after working a late shift.

Sharp was born to be a process operator much like his father, Casey Sharp, who works in marine traffic at Formosa. Sharp’s engaging personality, strong work ethic, and volunteer efforts promoting the process tech class to local middle school students earned him recognition from the Port Lavaca Rotary Club as the student of the month.

Torre Castillo knows how important a positive attitude is to any winning team. Castillo is always smiling. He’s in the welding class at Calhoun High School and served on the Calhoun powerlifting team. His positive attitude is contagious,” Rivet said.

The students will join Formosa Plastics in August of this year. The entry-level salary for these process operator positions is a little over $70,000, with the potential to earn over $100,000 per year.

Formosa Plastics has provided instructors to support process technology courses such as Introduction to Process Technology – 1302 and Introduction to Safety, Health & Environment – 1308 for more than 20 years. Additionally, Formosa Plastics has sponsored the credit-by-exam fees for students enrolled in these courses.

The company has also supported the Industrial Merit Shop Education Foundation (IMSEF), which serves as a liaison for education and training at schools and sponsors the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) certifications.

Additionally, Formosa Plastics sponsored the CCISD Career & Technical Education Certification Celebration, where more than 100 students received certifications for a variety of career paths.

“Partnerships are key to providing a wide range of opportunities for our students. Working with Formosa Plastics to extend offers to our top students and recognize their efforts with these certifications helps ensure we are setting them up for success after graduation,” said CCISD Superintendent Evan Cardwell.

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https://portlavacawave.com/articles/1158/view/chs-students-sign-on-with-formosa-for-post-school-career