Offsite programs expose you to various professional skills that will allow you to flourish in your career. Programs offered at the high school such as the LEAD Center, Southland Center for Advanced Professional Students, Summit Tech Academy, and Cass Career Center have helped many students improve their skills for the fields they plan on going into. These places offer many programs for different career paths, such as teaching, professional nursing, carpentry, etc.
Summit Tech Academy (STA) programs include engineering, computer science, health science, arts and communication, professional nursing, and more. This is a very competitive program and many students who apply don’t have the opportunity of being selected. Latasia Redick, a senior, has completed a semester at STA.
“I feel that I’m more prepared to be a nurse than I was at the beginning of the year. I feel like I have a better understanding of the foundations of nursing and I’m excited to move forward,” said Redick.
Cass Career Center offers EMT, fire science, health services, marketing, welding, and more. They provide hands-on training to prepare students for successful careers in their chosen fields. Senior Emma Shumway, is in the first responder’s field and shares how this program helps her.
“Going to Cass Career has taught me a lot about the first responder’s field and what I will do in the future. Learning about this field is interesting, and I feel more prepared to help others,” said Shumway.
The LEAD Center provides carpentry, a teaching academy, machining, enterprise and design, etc. Some students go for a full day of school while some only go half the day. Senior Lyndon Warner attends the LEAD Center all day and explains how this program has set her up for success.
“I’m a volition student for Enterprise and Design at the LEAD Center. This program helped me discover an idea of what I want to do in the future. Going to LEAD has prepared me by offering professional skills that allow me to grow and advance, as well as develop connections and friendships through my internship, at the Chamber of Commerce,” said Warner.
Allowing students to attend different campuses to learn about something they will continue in the future will help them substantially. The LEAD Center, Summit Tech Academy, and Cass Career Center are offered to anyone, but it is a challenge to get into one of the programs. These programs provide students with assortments of classes to ensure that they learn what is needed for their next steps. They offer many sessions to help students accelerate their education while in high school.
