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Two New Career Academies Planned For Ernest Ward Middle
February 11, 2011
Two new career academies are planned for Ernest Ward Middle School for the next school year.
A graphic arts academy and a culinary arts academy for Ernest Ward are both set for approval later this month by the Escambia County School Board. The new academies will be in addition to an electrical academy that is currently in its first year at the school.
Middle school career academies are small, personalized learning communities within a school in which select students and teachers participate during a two or three-year span. A career academy involves teachers from different subjects working together as an interdisciplinary team.
The Ernest Ward Middle School Graphic Arts Academy will focus on digital and web publishing, graphic design and multimedia production. Students will be able to continue their education in career academies at Northview, Tate, Pine Forest, Escambia or West Florida high schools. Students will also be able to earn high school credits while in middle school.
The academy will use software such as Microsoft Office and the Adobe Digital School Collection, including Photoshop Elements and Premier Pro Elements.
The lead instructor for the academy will be Brenda Rutherford.
The Ernest Ward Middle School Culinary Arts Academy will include topics such as creative food presentation, nutrition and wellness, personal health and kitchen design. Students will be able to continue their education with academies at Pine Forest, Washington and Escambia high school. While Northview High School does not offer a culinary-related academy, students that attend NHS will be able to take nutrition and wellness and principles of food preparation courses.
Students will produce a green kitchen design, produce an edible display, design and decorate cakes for a contest and more. Students will have the opportunity to obtain the “Safe Staff” industry certification while in middle school. An agreement with Pensacola State College will allow students entering PSC with ServSafe Certification to be awarded six college credits.
The lead instructor for the academy will be Kathy Ellis.
Comments
26 Responses to “Two New Career Academies Planned For Ernest Ward Middle”
I taught middle school for several years. The students who did well during those difficult transition years were the ones who had some career goals in mind. They tended to be more focused on doing well in school because they knew they needed to do well to meet their goals. The ones who got lost during their middle school years were the ones with no idea of what they wanted to do and no reason to focus on their education.
Academies also help students find a niche for “fitting in” with students with similar interests and life goals. Not a bad thing for an age group that tends to seek acceptance any way they can get it.
REGARDING:
“Why, oh why doesn’t Alabama have a school system that even comes close?? I hate that the property tax in FL is so high ”
Sometimes you think you’re reading sarcasm but can’t be absolutely sure.
Schools are paid for with taxes. Low taxes mean little money available for schools. If you have few students, that might be okay. If you have many students, you might need more money to educate them. That would imply higher taxes.
Higher taxes mean more money available for–well, maybe for schools, even though politicians are always tempted to spend it on other matters; it gets diverted into wars on drugs, wars on illegal dumping, wars on potholes. But if we assume the people in education will fight to get them to spend SOME of the high taxes on education, it’s possible more money will make it to the benefit of the students.
So, if you were to say, “I chose to live in a place with low taxes but want the benefits of high taxes,” it looks like sarcasm but it could be the result of a poorly spent formal education.
David uncertain
REGARDING:
“Is the “system” going to decide who is capable of advancing?”
Yes, it is. It is called GRADES. Those whose grades are too low are cruelly forced to earn grades high enough to advance. Some hardhearted people even consider it more reasonable than simply advancing students up each grade and then out the door even if they learn nothing even though it hurts their egos to be told they failed when they failed.
AND
“If the courses can be provided at certain schools, why not ALL schools? ”
The answer should be that it would not be cost effective. If you only have two students in a certain school interested in the courses, you really don’t want to tie up a teacher just for those two students. it would make more sense to gather the small groups to make a bigger group involving a teacher in class size worthy of them.
Aren’t those two as “worthy” as any others? Most likely, but that also means they are no more worthy than the others. Thus, if you tie up the resources to meet the needs of just the two, you are taking away resources which would have met the needs of the others.
It’s always a balancing act. Available resources balanced against needs. Online courses help somewhat and may be the future of many more specialized needs, but obviously not the “hands on” needs. Those will still require humans until the T1000s come out.
David for the perfect balance
REGARDING:
“I believe they should wait till high school for career classes.”
I had a physics professor back at Auburn who said he changed majors four times in four years and still finished in only four years total. Of course he stuck around a few more years for his master’s and doctorate or two, but the point is that having a goal doesn’t mean you can’t change goals. Having NO goals is far worse.
(I also had a cousin whose goal was to stay in college, so whenever she got close to a degree, she switched majors to something which would keep her in longer. When she finally reached the point at which taking any other course in anything would yield a bachelor’s degree, she dropped out and joined the Army. Not eveybody in my family is normal.)
David for good goals
and national defense
By reading the grammar and sentence structure of those posting on this issue (and this site in general), too many Northwest Florida citizens have taken the “trade school” route. Again, just stick with the basics and these kids will be better prepared to succeed in the REAL world.
I personally thinks this is a great idea for the students i think they deserve for all of there hard earn work this is something that has great potential for our fellow students at EWMS!!!!!!!
I believe they should wait till high school for career classes.
OMG SW, What are you against? As I previously stated they will still provide the basics, and ESE (special ed) is available also. These academies are electives (choice). Call me dense, but I do not understand your complaint!
Is the “system” going to decide who is capable of advancing? I am in the school system and each child is different. If they start out at a more advanced way of learning they do progress faster rather than to be held back with those who cannot advance as fast.
They indeed should be able to read and count money long before middle school; however, many don’t. I write technical papers for employees, I must write them at a 3rd grade level…yes 3rd grade! I personally know individuals who can’t write much more than their name and can’t count money; individuals who are in high school and…yes…even in middle school. If the school system is failing these people in basic education how do we really expect the school system to excel in teaching them a trade? That’s just not logical thinking.
Let’s hurry and teach them a trade while they are still pre-teens.
I have no problem with this type of education for high schoolers as they prepare to go into the work world or to vocational schools; that is the place for it…I just don’t think it is the place in middle school.
At what point to we let the teachers (or whoever) decide which students take what courses? Will the system decide who goes to work, who goes to vocational school, or who goes to college, too?
No one said anything about putting a student in the work force. Did they? No.
If we want to better our students and have them become productive young adults then classes need to change. The students should be able to read and count money long before they reach middle school. Look at what this world has become. Look at what previous years of schooling has brought us. It has brought us young adults that are un-movitated and don’t care to “work” for what they get. Why not turn things around and lead them in a better direction.
Those of you who don’t care to help lead them into a better direction need to get out of the way.
FINALLY something besides taking standard home economic and being in the FFA. This is a WIN – WIN situation for the student body.
Not everyone has the means or want to sit on a tractor for the rest of their life.
Why wait for high school? Let’s throw them into the workforce as soon as we can. Get them trained up but don’t teach them to read or count money so they’ll be good little workers.
Wait…isn’t that what some third-world countries do? The same countries that some people forced American businesses to boycott because they were using child labor?
Not buying into it and can’t believe others are.
How or why for that matter anyone post a negative comment on something that is for the betterment of the entire student body, and inculding your child’s growth? Having any opportunity in life to “expand one’s horizon” beyond a standardized learning system is absolutely a win/win/win for both the school, the student, and yes of course the parent. Great news, glad I stopped by for a quick read today!
You’re right! Some students in middle school may not know what they want to do after high school. But, it does not hurt to have the opportunity to take a course and SEE if they MIGHT like it. It never hurts to have experience. Why wait until after high school or in high school to figure out what you want to do? Some students ARE ready to make a decision. And if they make a decision to take a class and are not happy with it, then they know they can move on to something else. Why wait? The student AND parent will know if he/she is ready to take that first step.
A student must have every opportunity to “leap through that wide open window” of OPPORTUNITY!
If a student or parent chooses NOT to take that leap………..well, then……….it’s on them!
The students in middle school would still receive reading, math, language, science, geography, and PE. They can choose one elective and the academies can be it. These courses are not offered until after the sixth grade, and by that time the students and their parents should know whether they (student) can handle it, OR if the parents want them to handle it. There’s always band, typing, agriculture, etc. These type of academies are usually reserved for the other end of the county, and those of us who want our children to participate would have to bus them down there. I for one, am so glad my son will have an opprotunity to see if he wants to do what his passion is next year, for the rest of his life. I think it’s a good thing!!!
Why NOT bring the course TO the students?
Is transportation provided for the students to and from the school by way of a bus?
If the courses can be provided at certain schools, why not ALL schools?
Who’s side are we on, any way? I, for one, am on my childs’ side! He WILL be prepared for life AFTER school.
It would be beneficial for the students of Ransom if they had a few of these classes offered AT Ransom. My child, for one, DOES NOT want to transfer but, says he’d be glad to take any of these courses.
I’m positive that if these courses were offered at the other schools the students taking them would have a more positive outlook on school life.
And to those of you saying they need reading, writing, and arithmatic……….They’ll still be using all of these. Duh……how can they learn without reading! How can they learn any of these skills without math!
If we want our kids to accell in life we certainly do not want to hold them back!
I didn’t even know what I wanted to do when I graduated high school…it seems idiotic to me to have a “career school” at the middle school level. Just concentrate on the basics and you will be MUCH better off…
If Northview has a graphic arts academy now, why do we need a middle school graphic arts, teaching the same program?
Why, oh why doesn’t Alabama have a school system that even comes close?? I hate that the property tax in FL is so high and we had to buy a house in AL. I would even pay tution for out of state students if they’d let me…I’m paying for school now because the public schools here stink!!
Here is a list of all the current career academies in Escambia County:
http://career.escambia.k12.fl.us/CareerAcademy/index_school.asp
(scroll all the way down the page for the list)
If you click around the site, you can learn a lot about what is offered in the county. Escambia residents can apply to send their child to any career academy in the county — not just the one at their zoned school.
Nothing wrong with the kids getting a jump on things! Does Ransom offer any opportunities such as these? I have not heard of anything like this at Ransom. If so, let me know.
Love your site William!
SW, you are right. It’s not the way they did it for the last 50 years so it must be a bad idea. We don’t want to change a thing. NOT.
It’s not like they take this academy program all day long They still get their reading, writing and arithmetic. It would just give them a vision of some possibilities for their future.
I am grateful to those folks who are trying to push this through and try something new in our schools.
I agree….but this is just a ploy to get more funding. As you stated reading, writing, and math should be there focus.
Really? Vocational school for middle school students?
Shouldn’t the middle schools still be concentrating on math, english, and science (otherwise known as the basics)? After all, these students can’t get jobs for a few years yet.
There’s something so wrong about this, in my opinion.