District expanding high school technical education options
Centaurus freshman Carter Norse puts a wood tower in a chamber to be crushed. Ninth grade Centaurus engineering students took a field trip Thursday to the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory at CU Boulder to test the strength of wood towers they built during class.
Centaurus High School’s engineering program is getting more classroom and woodshop space as part of the Boulder Valley School District’s efforts to expand access to career and technical education classes.
The school recently added intro to cybersecurity to its 22-year-old engineering program, which includes opportunities to earn industry certifications and guaranteed admission to the University of Colorado Boulder’s engineering school for students who meet GPA and test score criteria.
“The students who do the certifications here, when they go on to CU or Mines, they’re the leaders in their classes,” said Centaurus Engineering Coordinator Catherine Barnes. “Kids can explore different engineering classes here at no cost, before college. It’s a hands-on program. We want to create excitement about engineering.
“We give them the hope and the dream to get there.”
The upcoming remodel, part of the $350 million capital construction bond issue approved by voters in 2022, will include two more classrooms and a new woodshop that’s double the size of the current one.
“We are building on an already successful program,” Barnes said. “With the remodel, we will have more space to spread out. We want every student who is interested to be able to take these classes.”
Boulder Valley recently identified career and technical education program focus areas for all of its high schools, including potential class additions, after gathering feedback from school communities and industry professionals.
“Everything we have and are designing is focused on creating equitable access to CTE opportunities and on emphasizing the benefits of Career and Technical Education for all students,” Bianca Gallegos, the district’s executive director of strategic partnerships, said at a recent school board meeting.
Boulder High will focus on applied design technologies and computer science, with graphic arts and skilled trades as potential additions.
Broomfield High will focus on infrastructure and applied technology, with medical science and computer science as potential additions. The high school plans to continue its popular home building project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, adding opportunities for Broomfield Heights Middle School students to participate.
“We can give the middle school students a better understanding of what this is all about,” said Career and Technical Education Director Arlie Huffman.
At Centaurus, which will continue its engineering focus, graphics arts is a potential addition.
Boulder’s Fairview High will focus on immersive technology and artificial intelligence, both new areas for the school. Another potential new addition is graphic arts.
Louisville’s Monarch High will focus on health science and sports medicine, as well as potentially adding graphic arts.
Boulder’s New Vista High will focus on STEAM, agriculture and outdoor leadership. New pathways include engineering, technology and media arts; hospitality, human services and education; information technology; skills, trades and technical services; and work based learning.
Nederland Middle/senior will continue its outdoor leadership program after adopting a career and technical education model a couple of years ago.
Multiple Nederland high school classes have opportunities to earn industry certifications. As the program is built out, the school also is working to partner with local businesses to add internships and work other opportunities.
With focus areas in place, the district has scheduled remodels and additions using money from the bond issue to create classroom and lab spaces for the programs. For both middle schools and high schools, the bond issue includes $36 million to support expanded career and technical education offerings.
Next, the district plans to work on identifying areas to expand or add programs at Boulder’s Technical Education Center, as well as expanding middle school options with an emphasis on exploration. Boulder’s Technical Education Center houses the most intensive programs, including automotive, welding and cosmetology programs.
“We want the pathways at the high schools to connect to Boulder TEC whenever possible,” Huffman said. “Connecting those courses is a big piece of our pathway development.”