The 2015 Middle School Summer Career Academy
When: May 26-29
Where: Grayson Tech at Grayson High School, 50 Hope Hollow Road, Loganville
Students can explore careers in culinary arts, digital media, music production, photography, sports medicine vet science and video production.
Registration is $75 per session.
Information: 770-554-7082; www.graysontech.org.
The courses at Grayson High school cover the foundational lessons in the key subjects, from language and civics to science and math. But alongside the traditional high school is Grayson Tech, a regional school established 11 years ago to give juniors and seniors from around Gwinnett County the chance to explore more than the basics.
The goal of having a tech division is to expose students to a variety of electives that can broaden their career horizons. Courses in topics as varied as digital media, culinary arts, sports medicine and video production are designed to not only develop skills but to spark an interest that may become a passion.
Students from high schools beyond Grayson need to provide their own transportation to the campus for the afternoon courses, and once there, they have 11 programs to explore. Depending on the elective, students can earn up to three credits.
“Grayson Tech is part of Grayson High, but we operate on a different schedule and have students from other schools,” explained Jill Landtroop, an assistant principal. “We are the tech education coordinator for the county and serve students who are still part of their zoned high school but who come here for a concurrent program.”
The topical courses have helped the program grow, said Landtroop. “When it began, the tech division drew fewer than 200 students,” she said. “But enrollment has grown consistently; for the last two years, between 425 and 450 students have attended. One of the attractions is that we have something that’s not offered anywhere else, such as veterinary science, a course that gives the foundation for working in a vet’s clinic.”
Most of Grayson Tech’s programs not only expose students to different careers; they also segue into college-level courses. “In some areas, such as sports medicine and veterinary science, students have to go to college to be a full-time employee in that field. But our programs give them workplace skills and goals that push them onto college.”
Senior Onexia Thompson discovered her college major through the music technology program. “I learned about the different programs used to produce music and how to use them,” said the Grayson resident. “We learned how to set up a studio and to create our own music. It was very creative. I’d always seen myself doing something with music, but I never figured it out until I took the class. It inspired me to take up audio engineering, and now I’m going to Georgia State to major in music technology and minor in business.”
Next week, students in Gwinnett middle schools can get a taste of Grayson Tech’s programs. In 3-hour morning and afternoon sessions, the school’s faculty and student counselors will help younger students can explore seven of the most popular fields, including digital media with a graphic design focus and culinary arts.
“This is the fourth year we’ve hosted a summer program for middle school students as way to expose them to options they’ll eventually have in middle school,” said Landtroop. “We usually have about 100 who attend as a way to get interested in those fields, so when the time comes, they’ll come back.”
Middle school is also a good time to get students thinking about what career paths they might want to follow.
“By thinking about it now, when they enter high school, they’ll have an idea of what they want to focus on,” said Landtroop. “And it’s a good way to give them some positive interaction with high school teachers and kids outside of the typical classroom experience.”
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