Have you ever wondered about what it would be like to be an astronaut, an engineer or a veterinarian? Maybe you wanted to be one as a child. Students from St. Cloud Area School District 742 were able to get a glimpse of astronauts, mechanical engineering, technology and manufacturing during their two weeklong Summer Career Academy.
The academy, in partnership with Globe University and Minnesota School of Business, is offered twice each summer to give students an opportunity for career exploration through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
“It’s about teaching the kids a different way of thinking about [careers],” explains Jayne Greeney-Schill, AVID District Director.
McKenna Cobb, a sixth-grader at South, is not beating around the bush in her enthusiasm.
“This is not my first time [attending the academy],” says Cobb. “I want to learn about careers. I probably want to be in technology or music.”
McKenna and her younger sister McKaylie Cobb, a fifth-grader at Talahi, just returned from a visit to the Paramount Theatre where they received a tour under the stage as well as backstage. Thoroughly impressed, they learned how technology is integrated into theater, as well as the history of the theater burning down and being rebuilt. They thought it was cool that a safe was found in a wall.
McKenna’s favorite part of the academy is learning about different careers and colleges. So far, the Cobb sisters have toured St. Cloud State University, Rasmussen Business College, and Globe University and Minnesota School of Business.
For other students, the service learning projects are a favorite part of the academy.
Some students choose to visit Opportunity Matters, a local non-profit organization that helps individuals with disabilities. Those students get the chance to play kickball with the residents.
Heather Holien, one of the academy instructors who has been teaching at the academy for two years, explains that adding the service learning piece to the academy helps spur the question in kids, “How can I help out my community?”
“I didn’t really know that [Opportunity Matters] did so much for them [residents],” says Grace Hilden, a sixth-grader in the Spanish Immersion program at Clearview Elementary School.
“It’s an option to help other people with disabilities. I really like the different field trips and to meet all the different people.”
After Hilden’s visit to Opportunity Matters, she feels that finding a career that helps people with disabilities is an really possibility for her.
Students in this academy are challenged to think about careers ideas and then follow-up with the research.
“I’ve heard you want to be mechanical engineers and veterinarians,” says Holien. “Think about that so that we can look it up!”
As a class, the students google information on careers such as: salary, job demand, educational requirements and experience.
One of the classroom themes during this academy is careers in space exploration, and the students are watching the documentary, “A Year in Space,” It is the story of twin astronauts, Scott and Mark Kelly, who are participating in a yearlong experiment (with Scott in space) so that their blood and bone mass density can be tested and compared to calculate the viability of living on Mars.
After each episode, a classroom project relates back to the video in some way. One week it was working with moon sand. A previous week was building rockets.
Expert local community members are invited into the classroom to share their experience, advice and to answer career questions.
“I love science and math,” says Holien. “My favorite part is when I learn something new, but also when the student learns something new.”
The Summer Career Academy is helping students find what they love to do. Like the Cobb sisters, students are stretching their wings to fly toward careers they want to pursue.