Page 19 - Scene Magazine January 2024 4901

Education Scene
BCCHS Career Academies: A Win-Win for Students and Battle Creek
Career Exposure Opens Doors for Students & Creates Local Talent Pipeline
In Mr. Kay’s and Ms. Worden’s junior English classes at Battle Creek Central High School (BCCHS), students had been working on a project all semester to create public service an- nouncement campaigns around different mental health topics. Just last month, a couple of weeks before winter break, they got a boost of inspiration and were paid a visit by marketing and design pros from the locally-based global branding agency SGK. The guests from SGK provided students with an in-depth look at how marketing professionals
use skills like audience research, brain mapping, and sto-
ryboarding to build
out print, video, and
social media cam-
paigns.
“We have a linked fate... if the city is thriving, then our schools are thriving; if our schools are thriving, the city is thriving,” said BCPS Superintendent Kimberly Carter.
economy, which in turn funnels back to the schools.
“Our next generation of employ- ees are going to be coming from this school,” said Emily Powell, education and outreach manager at the Kingman Museum, Battle Creek’s natural history museum. “And so if we can prepare them early, prepare them now for what employers need, what our community, our businesses want, then our students will stay here and participate in the community.”
This led to the reimagining of how BCPS schools prepare high schoolers for their futures and the creation of the Career Academies at BCCHS. A revo- lutionary curriculum overhaul, Career Academies provide practical, career-ori- ented skills and education to students in line with local workforce needs. At the end of ninth grade, students choose one of eight Career Pathway options. From health care to education and finance
to engineering, the student’s selected
BCPS support for its students’ futures doesn’t end with the Career Academies. Several scholarship pro- grams, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ensure that finances are not a barrier to fulfilling potential and dreams, including the Bearcat Advan- tage, Legacy Scholars program, and
Grand Valley State University Pipeline Scholarship Pro- gram.
These are the
types of one-of-a-
kind, hands-on expe-
riences that Career
Academies provide
Battle Creek Public
Schools (BCPS)
students with —
opportunities to
meet and learn
directly from experts
in and around Battle
Creek who work in
the fields they’re interested in that also double as opportunities for local com- panies to build a pipeline of talent right in their backyard. Through participation in Career Academies, students explore career paths through the school’s col- laboration with numerous community partners, like SGK, that represent Battle Creek government services, non-profits, and businesses.
Ultimately, the goal of Career Academies and these scholarships is not only to nurture the future market- ing professionals in Mr. Kay’s and Ms. Worden’s classes
It all started back in 2017, as Battle Creek Public Schools (BCPS) em- barked on its comprehensive, equi- ty-informed transformation journey. District leaders recognized that Battle Creek and the school district depend on each other: A stronger, better-equipped school system leads to a robust local talent pipeline and more productive
Many of the 70 official community partners of the Career Academies have been there from the start, connecting and engaging students with employ- ment opportunities, including mock interviews, job shadowing experiences, and more. These partners are highly in- volved in the district’s activities because they understand that they’re not just helping the next generation — they’re helping the entire local economy.
out there in the real world and make an impact.”
pathway shapes their coursework and external opportunities from sophomore through senior year. Built by and for the Battle Creek community, this curricu- lum was co-created by students, staff, families, and community partners to ensure it was responsive to community and business needs.
broadly. “It is very important to recruit Battle Creek students because the ma- jority of us are minority groups, and we don’t always get the privileges that oth- ers get because of that,” said a student participant in Career Academies’ second graduating class. “It is beneficial for us to get out there in the community and have more people of color in health care field jobs, public safety jobs, education, business, engineering, and finance. Career Academies prepares us to get
or to build a local pipeline of talent; the goal is also to improve employ- ment equity more
Learn more about Career Academies at battlecreekpublicschools.org/bcchs and additional scholarship opportuni- ties at battlecreekpublicschools.org/ scholarships.
EDUCATION ISSUE I SCENE 4901 19