Grand Island Public Schools, Courtesy
GRAND ISLAND — The Academies of Grand Island Senior School will have a revised look for innovative education starting next school year.
Beginning in August 2024, the high school will offer an updated suite of learning opportunities through five Academies and 11 Pathways for all high school students.
Here is how the new model will look:
Academy of Freshman Exploration
- Freshman learn about all the Academies and Pathways
Academy of Medical Sciences and Education
- Healthcare Pathway
- Sports Medicine and Therapy Pathway
- Emergency Services Pathway
- Education Pathway
Academy of Business and Communication
- Finance Pathway
- Entrepreneurship Pathway
Academy of Technical Sciences
- Automotive and Diesel Pathway
- Construction Pathway
- Manufacturing Pathway
Academy of Engineering and Technology
- Engineering Pathway
- Architecture Pathway
The high school Academies model was built with a commitment every five years to evaluate course offerings, program opportunities, and overall student experiences. Aiming to provide learning that empowers students to be competitive in high-demand job markets and higher education institutions, has focused on being responsive to the ever-evolving job markets and higher learning opportunities.
“We are extremely excited about the future of the Academies of Grand Island Senior High School,” said Jeff Gilbertson, the high school’s Executive Principal. “Our ability to provide careful self-examination and refinement will positively impact our students. With great responsibility ,we are ensuring the improvement, efficiency, and high-quality education for all of our students.”
Along the way, other course adjustments will be made to continue providing high-quality learning opportunities to students. Other notable Pathway updates include:
- Ensuring and improving the quality of a career academy requires engaging in a regular cycle of improvement has been the focus throughout this process. The refinements the high school is making will strengthen its alignment to the National Career Academy Coalition and their National Standards of Practice.
- Continuing to offer Information Technology (IT) and Welding but as elective opportunities for students.
- Adding a Digital Arts class to the art department. Striv will still be an available activity. Also adding Yearbook into the Journalism program alongside the student newspaper. All of these offerings will be strong opportunities for students interested in pursuing different multimedia.
- High school job shadowing, internship, and registered apprenticeship opportunities will continue as they always have.
The review process started three months ago. High school administration carefully reviewed all the learning opportunities the school has offered since launching the Academies. A consistent evaluation criteria was followed along the way:
- Alignment with the College and Career Continuum
- Class sizes and growth over the last five years
- Job market demands in the community, statewide, and across the country
- Efficiencies in budget spending
- Facility needs
- Staffing sustainability for specialized course and career offerings
- Overall learning experiences for our Islander students
After thorough evaluation, the high school Administration Team mapped out this new Academy and Pathways model and presented it to the school district’s District Leadership. With district support, the high school and school have been able to refine the innovative, career-focused approach to learning in a way that will strengthen the Academies going forward.
“As we dove into the challenge of redesigning our Academy model we had the needs of our students and community as our central focus.” Matt Fisher, the school district’s Superintendent, said. “We recognized that financial and staffing constraints dictated some change but we wanted to preserve as many opportunities for our students as possible. I believe the plan that has been developed both addresses needs and continues us on a path where our students have great learning opportunities.”
Going forward, sophomores enrolled in a Pathway no longer offered will have the opportunity to select another Pathway and will have their new top selection prioritized.
Additionally, juniors enrolled in a Pathway no longer offered will have the opportunity to take the Capstone Course during their senior year. This option allows current juniors to earn the credit required to graduate with their Pathway.
Academy Counselors and Principals will be facilitating this process for all impacted students and families. The high school encourages students and families to reach out to set-up a time to meet one-on-one to explore its new education opportunities.
A few opportunities are still being considered for placement of specific Pathways and programs at different campuses: specifically with Senior High, CPI, Wyandotte, and the Islander Annex.
More will be shared as decisions are made in the coming months. District administrators will be sharing at upcoming School District Board of Education meetings more about district budget updates and details on the high school’s new looks for the Academies & Pathways.
