It's not uncommon for students to question the value of
what they're learning. To be honest, I asked
the same question when I was in high school: Why am I learning
this? We feel it's important to develop a purpose
for what students are learning in Center Line Public Schools. We
believe it's our job to identify students' strengths,
teach them the skills necessary to succeed, and
expose them to a wide range of employment and
educational options. In order to meet those expectations, we
had to change our approach to education, and
that's why we created the Academies of Center Line.
We've partnered with Ford Next Generation Learning,
the Macomb County Planning and Economic Group, local
businesses, and community organizations to offer
an internationally-recognized educational program--
a program that provides engaging and relevant opportunities
to our students as they prepare for a post-secondary
path to college, trade school,
the military, or directly into the workforce.
Our high school offers a hands-on approach
to learning in fields that interest us, from engineering
to healthcare. The academies empower
students through career exposure so that they can make
timely, informed decisions and discover their true
passions while earning college credit or nationally-
recognized industry certification.
Curriculum is taught through the lens of their Academy
while business and community partners provide real-world
learning opportunities at every level.
Ninth-grade students enter our program through the Freshman Academy.
Freshman year is all about exploration.
The Freshman Academy is where we learn skills to help us be
successful in high school, explore careers,
visit college campuses while building
a strong community and our own part of the high school.
Most ninth graders take Freshman Seminar,
a class where we focus on our future by understanding
what it takes to be successful in high school
and make educated choices about our future pathway
based on research and experiences.
Through Link Crew, freshman are partnered with
with a senior or junior mentor to help them navigate through high school.
After exploring, we choose
an academy and pathway for the rest of our high school
journey. A pathway is like choosing a college major.
After the 9th grade year, students exit the Freshman
Academy and transition into one of our two career academies.
Each academy consists of four unique pathways.
The Industry, Technology, and Innovation Academy
(or as we call it, the ITI Academy)
engages students in innovative career-based learning experiences
in technology, engineering,
business, art, and design.
Depending on our pathway, we have
an opportunity to explore FANUC robotics,
computer programming, welding, engineering,
art design, graphic communication,
web design, management, marketing, and
accounting. We have the opportunity to
participate in mock interviews, job
shadows, and other career exploration activities
with local employers. We work closely with professionals
in our field of interest so we can apply
what we are learning in the classroom to the workplace.
In addition to the hands-on experience and relevant learning,
we also learn to be better communicators, collaborators,
critical thinkers, and leaders
in each of our classes. These are skills that no matter
what our future brings will make us better citizens.
For students with an interest in helping and serving
others, we also offer our Health and Human Service
Academy. The Health and Human Service Academy,
which we refer to as HHS Academy,
engages students through a service-based learning experience
in public safety, medical sciences, and
leadership careers. The HHS Academy gives us an
introduction to law enforcement,
educational careers, firefighting,
JROTC, and
Emergency Medical Response, which paves the path
into becoming an EMT.
These careers are face-paced and often demanding,
so it is critical that people in these careers remember the importance
of self-care. Because of this the students take
psychology as an introduction to the importance of
mental health and interpersonal relationships.
In HHS, we help, we heal,
and we serve.
As you can see, the Academies of Center Line are very different
than traditional high schools, and thanks to Ford Next
Generation Learning, we're certain students will never have to ask,
"When am I ever going to use this?"