"We have found that providing students with career exploration is what really ignites their passions," said St. Vrain Chief Academic Officer Diane Lauer. "It makes such a strong connection between what they're learning in their academic classes to the real world. We have been adding various pathways layer by layer. When we saw this opportunity, we were excited to see how we could scale the work that we're already doing."
The grant, according to a news release, creates partnerships among education, industry and workforce development centers so there's a smooth transition for students from high school to college and careers.
St. Vrain is partnering with Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Weld RE-3J School District and the Estes Park School District, as well as Workforce Boulder, the Boulder Chamber, the University of Colorado Denver, the Colorado Education Initiative, Mogli, Salesforce, Cisco, Elevation Solutions, PTA Plastics, McKesson and Eplexity.
"It's exciting to be able to collaborate with other school districts," Lauer said. "We will learn from them while they are learning from us."
She said plans for the grant money include adding more courses, including more remote learning and courses taken outside the school day. More industry mentors, college coursework, internships and apprenticeships also are planned.
"When you can connect theory to practice, in any field, it increases your ability to really understand the nuances of that field," she said. "It gets you excited to learn more, to try more, to keep learning."
Lauer said the three partner school districts plan to replicate St. Vrain's grow-your-own teacher program, called P-TEACH. The district also plans to add technology to classrooms so students from other districts can join St. Vrain classes virtually.
P-TEACH, which started in spring 2018, is a concurrent enrollment program that includes field experiences in classrooms and college-level early childhood classes, allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school. There's also a college apprenticeship program for high school graduates, giving them an opportunity to gain classroom experience while working toward a teaching degree.
This summer, St. Vrain's high school P-TEACH students had the opportunity to work as teacher aides in the Project Launch program. P-TEACH graduates, now in college, also could apply for a substitute teacher license and lead a Project Launch classroom.
Claire Haines, who is going into her senior year at Colorado Mesa University, was one of those Project Launch teachers. She taught incoming second graders at Burlington Elementary in Project Launch.
She joined the P-TEACH program as a junior at Silver Creek High School.
"It really helped me jump start into the education world," she said. "It really helped me decide early that I did want to be a teacher, and it's truly what I'm supposed to be doing."
Now that she's taking college classes on teaching, she added, leading her own classroom this summer allowed her to put what she's learning into practice.
"I was able to try out different classroom management strategies and different technology," she said. "It has been so nice to take everything I've learned and observed and see what I liked and what worked for my class."
Through the grant, Lauer said, P-TEACH also plans to partner with the University of Colorado Denver to give current teacher aides who want to get their teaching licenses the opportunity to attend education classes online, in real time.
"It's going to really be a game changer," she said. "It will help them manage working full time with wanting to go to school to become teachers."
St. Vrain's Career Elevation and Technology Center and New Meridian High School will lead the advanced manufacturing pathway, which includes career options such as working as a pipefitter, welder, electronics technician, machinist and CAD designer.
As students moved through the classes, they would have paid and unpaid opportunities to work on school district and industry projects and internships.
For the technology pathway, plans include giving students more options to earn industry certifications, including earning them at their own pace, outside the school day, with the help of an industry mentor. A facilitator would recruit students and mentors, as well as support the students.
Students then could apply what they learned through an internship or as part of a paid project team at the Innovation Center.
"Certifications really prepare students for the workforce right out of high school," said Axel Reitzig, St. Vrain's executive director of innovation. "It's aligned with real industry need and opportunities."
Beth Cerrone, St. Vrain's instructional cybersecurity and technology manager, said certifications are "a really great way to show employers that kids have this base knowledge."
"They could do a dozen different jobs right from high school," she said. "Kids are ready for it. They really are."
Allowing students to earn certifications outside of regular classes also should open up the opportunity to more students, she said, including those who can't fit the specialized classes at the Innovation Center into their school schedule.
"It's a great way for them to explore different areas and test their knowledge," she said.
Lukas Reck, who graduated in May from Frederick High School, was intrigued by cybersecurity and took an ethical hacking class at the Innovation Center. That spurred him to take more technology classes, and he graduated with certifications in Apple iOS, Python and Linux Essentials.
"Certifications give you extra things on your resume and in your toolbelt in terms of skills," he said. "I'm glad I spent the time to study it and master it. It's super important to make you stand out. You can have a head start in business."
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