WCS - College & Career Academy
March 2023
Seventh Edition
Preparing ALL students for their life after high school.
A Message from Dr. Katie Jenner
Rethinking high school is about a transformation of the high school experience in order to maximize the four years we have with our students. At the state level, while we are hard at work to re-envision not only what we measure and how we measure it, we have also heard loud and clear from you that supporting diploma flexibility is another area in which we can continue to improve for our students. This means:
- Increasing access to quality work-based learning and credentials of value for all students,
- Identifying potential barriers to access, including master scheduling, and understanding how increased flexibility can open more doors for students, and
- Allowing students to take courses that are more relevant to their interests and goals…and that are individualized and purposeful to their own unique path.
Jobs for America's Graduates
Employer engagement has been a cornerstone activity of the JAG program since inception. In leveraging employer engagement as an instructional strategy, JAG elevates the practice by developing meaningful connections between our students and professionals, ideas and skills, and the classroom and real-life situations. Employers invest their resources, talent and knowledge to customize individual learning experiences for JAG students. Work-based activities and learning advances effective employer partnerships to provide students with the inspiration, motivation, knowledge and skills needed to be successful in post-secondary education and career pathways. This strategy deepens career exploration and first-hand experience in working environments to optimize advancement for learners. PBL provides a natural vehicle to implement workforce development practices in the classroom, preparing students for employer experiences.
Megan Nowling
Megan is a graduate of Purdue University - Agriculture Education program, and has taken over for Tina Bond who is now serving in the STEM classroom at Washington Intermediate. Megan is originally from North Daviess. We are happy to welcome her as the newest member of our Hatchet team as our WHS JAG Instructor.
JAG Winter Newsletter
Click here to learn more about what JAG students across the state are up to.
Career Awareness Continues At WHS
We have had a busy start to the second semester here at the High School. We have taken students on field tips to VU to tour the IT, Welding, Automotive and Robotics departments. We have also taken our freshmen in the R2D2 class to tour Ivy Tech and tour two manufacturing companies in Bloomington, which are Tasus and Printpack. A few of our students have even toured the local Core Center for those interested in Physical Therapy. In March, we had our annual Job Symposium for Juniors and Seniors to talk to 20 different local businesses. Right before spring break, several students will be touring the Toyota plant in Princeton to get an up close look at what advanced manufacturing looks like in the real world. We look forward to many more career opportunities for our students in the upcoming months before school is out for the summer.
Junior High Updates
We held our first construction club meetings at WHS for our junior high students over the last few months. The students learned about various skills and careers in relation to the construction trades. Each session we talked about a career in the construction trades and then completed a hands-on project. We built small forms and poured concrete, made string art by practicing driving nails, built and test model bridges, built a picnic table, and visited a job site. I believe the kids had fun and were taught some valuable life skills.
Elementary Updates
On Friday, March 24, Washington Upper Elementary hosted several guest speakers to present at their Home and Family Event. Home and Family is a "destination" that goes along with our Kids At Hope belief system. When talking about this destination, we want students to "time travel" and envision what they want their own home and family to look like as adults. We want them to see that there are many options out there and that THEIR future home and family doesn't necessarily have to look like the home and family they have now. We had speakers talk about child care, healthy eating and fitness, banking, pet care, real estate, car sales, and travel. We hope the students at Washington Upper Elementary learned about real life concepts and keep these in mind when also thinking about career options that will support the kind of lifestyle they want to live. We want to thank all of our presenters that volunteered their time to make this a successful event for all of our students. "All children are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!"
We just wrapped up our third Kids at Hope destination at Washington Intermediate. We are so proud of the conversations we've been able to have as a building through our Kids at Hope framework. The third destination, Home and Family, allows our students to time travel and imagine what their adult life might look like. We spent seven weeks journaling and having classroom discussions to get our students thinking about what type of future home and family they see for themselves. The eighth week we were able to bring in ELEVEN adults in our community to speak to our students about different aspects to think about in their future. Over 500 students were able to participate! The following week students put their plans and conversations on paper and it was amazing at the amount of detail that each student illustrated. Included are some pictures of what you can see in our hallways. The hope of allowing our students to time travel is giving them some thought into what they want for their future self. Some of our students live in the here and now and through Kids at Hope we are able to celebrate our students and all the things they will accomplish in their future. Some see college in their future while others might see a career right after high school. Either way, we are thankful for the opportunities we are able to bring to our students and all of the adults who make it possible. If you know any of the speakers who came to WIS for our Home and Family event please let them know how thankful we are for spending their day with us. THANK YOU!
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students at Washington Veale were excited to make the trip to Washington Intermediate to join them for the Home and Family Destination presentations. The students loved the presentations and getting to hear about various jobs and aspects of life they had not considered before, such as insurance and important things to know about buying a car. We had great discussions with our students when we returned back to Washington Veale and the students loved completing the Home and Family Journals as well.
To Learn More...
If you are interested in partnering with us in any way, please reach out to our College & Career Academy Director, Chad Niehaus: cniehaus@wcs.k12.in.us
WHS - College & Career Academy Website
Learn more about the WHS - College & Career Academy by visiting our webpage.
WHS: College & Career Academy
Email: speterson@wcs.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.washingtoncommunityschools.org/1/Content2/college-and-career-academy
Location: 608 East Walnut Street, Washington, IN, USA
Phone: (812) 254-3860
Twitter: @washhs