Several students know from day one of kindergarten what they want to be when they grow up. Whether they want to be a doctor or an actor, they have a passion for that specific career from a very young age.
Monroe Township High School has created four academies that focus on a specific career path, – STEM, FLEX, BLG, and CA – and they will be in place for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. This academy consists of bio-medical, engineering, and an information technology program.
Students with an interest in business or law can join BLG or Business, Law, and Government. It offers programs for accounting, business and management, law and government, and a marketing program.
Aspiring actors and actresses can take CA, which stands for Communication and Arts. This academy focuses on classes for students interested in the entertainment business. The programs include digital arts, fine arts, video production, and performing arts.
For students who still want flexibility in the classes they take as they do not know what career path they would like to follow, FLEX was created. This academy does not receive the special attention that the other academies do, and a majority of the student body is in this program.
To get into one of these academies, one must fill out an application form with an explanation as to why he or she is a good candidate for the specific academy he or she would like to enroll in. This is followed by an interview with the principal, which prepares students for the many interviews they will have in their lives.
These academies are great because they give each student a specific predetermined schedule that will accomplish graduation requirements.
Freshman Isha Gill said, “I am glad that these academies have been made because it gets confusing trying to take classes that interest you while still meeting graduation requirements. However, with these academies, everything is chosen for you. Also, I would like to be a lawyer, so it is great that the BLG program has a set schedule for me that contains classes that all interest me.”
Students who know what they want to be in life should not have to sit through useless classes. Typically, they take classes that will have no effect on what they want to be.
Freshman Sobhana Archakam said, “Before I got accepted into STEM, I had no idea what classes to take. I would like to be something in the medical field, and learned through the program that I was taking many unnecessary classes, such as Graphic Design, that would have no benefit for myself trying to get into a medical school. It was extremely boring sitting through electives that did not match my interests.”
These academies not only guide students to a perfectly fit career path, but also allows them several privileges.
Students enrolled in specific academies get special attention from teachers through having classes of approximately 25 students. They also have the same schedule as these 25 students for the rest of their high school education, which creates a great bond between people with similar interests.
The students also receive an internship project senior year where they are given their last block off of school to go to an internship that coincides with their career interest.
Along with all of these benefits, the students are assigned a mentor that will help them throughout their high school journey. This includes putting together a resume for college, as well as collaborating on several fun projects.
These academies are a great addition to Monroe Township High School, and will provide many students a path to become what they want to be.
Which academy most interests you, and how would being in an academy change your high school journey?
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