The Christian County Chamber of Commerce put out a call-to-action Tuesday morning, calling on local businesses and industries to get involved in local education and the students who call this area home.
As the two high schools will soon become one, it presents a rare opportunity to reinvest in local students by giving them access to local industries, whether that be through tours, career expos, job shadowing or even taking on a co-op student as an intern. At least, that’s what Dr. Kimberly Fifer says, and she’s the Director of Educational Innovation at the Central Indiana Educational Service Center. She was the keynote speaker at Tuesday’s eye-opener breakfast, and she brought a lot of tips and wisdom on how to have the most positive impact on local students.
Dr. Fifer says many students will be looking for jobs right out of high school, and by partnering with the school system, local businesses can help them realize what exactly it is they want to do and that there are jobs waiting for them right here at home. She says there’s a lot of work to be done both internally and externally to get the community and the schools aligned on this endeavor.
She says the more individuals know about the academy model of teaching that will be taking place at the new Christian County High School come August, the more they can promote the great things taking place.
PreK2Biz Chair Cody Noffsinger announced the launch of their new “Powerful Partnerships” initiative, which will be designed to generate support locally to make the transition to the new model of teaching a success.
Academy Coach Sandra Hancock says education is no longer just a school issue—it’s economic and community driven—so it needs support from all.
There will be four broad academies at the new CCHS when it opens to students in August, and those are the Academy of Agriculture and Skilled Trades, the Academy of Business, Engineering and Manufacturing, the Academy of Health and Community Services and the Academy of Freshman Success.
Each academy has its own list of pathways for students to pursue, while still maintaining those staples of education, such as math, reading, writing, science, social studies and more, along with those important extra-curriculars.