Photo by Emily Featherston.
Students work on their design projects in a media class.
$750,000: That’s the economic impact one group of Vestavia Hills High School students are estimated to have on the city this year, thanks to a special program.
The work-based learning program allows students to get school credit for work experiences in the community, such as assisting at a dental office or taking orders in a restaurant.
The program is an extension of the career and technical education department at the school, where students spend their time acquiring skills in everything from information technology to architecture.
“Basically, we want everybody to find where their passions are and then kind of explore that,” department chair Deana Goodwine said.
Goodwine, who was recently named Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Alabama Business Education Association, said all VHHS students take the introductory “Career Prep” course, where they learn job skills and can become certified in Microsoft Office.
After that, she said, between 700 and 800 students enter into “pathways” aimed at introducing them to specific technical skills.
While still taking normal high school courses such as algebra and English, students in the career tech program have the opportunity to take classes in business management, marketing, information technology and software development, architecture and media.
“I just see it as the application of everything they’ve learned all the way through,” Goodwine said, adding that many of the classes put to use the learning from areas of math and science.
“I think it really takes all that and really packages it up together.”
For the 40 or so students in the work-based learning program, the application goes even further.
Students can apply for the program after taking the career-prep course, but Goodwine said most wait until their senior year or after taking other career tech classes, as many of the certifications available can give the students an edge.
“I tell my students that you have to add value to a business to be more valuable than minimum wage,” she said.
While most people may hear “career tech” and think only of students that transition immediately from high school into the work force, Goodwine said the program is also for those students planning to attend college.
“We’re finding that our students are more prepared for that college experience by being in our classes,” she said.
Another benefit, she said, is the acquisition of basic or “soft” job and life skills, such as personal finance.
Emily Vick, a junior, and Jacob Lipford, a senior, who are students in one of the department’s accounting classes, recently won $20,000 each in a scholarship competition through H&R Block.
The competition, which was recommended to them by their teacher, put the students into a simulation that required them to make difficult financial decisions on a daily basis, including paying bills, how much to contribute to a 401K and paying for health insurance.
“I’m just pretty appreciative of just the space and the time that we have to be able to do these kind of things,” Lipford said.
Goodwine said career tech program is still growing, with a health science pathway to be added next year as well as the expectation of nearly 50 students in the work-based learning program.
“We’re trying to really pattern what we’re doing for the needs of our students,” she said.
For more information on the career tech and business education programs, visit vhhsbusiness.com.
