Photo courtesy of Engineering Academy
As a recent observer in the Biomedical Academy at Dublin Scioto High School, I had flashbacks to my own advanced placement biology class.
We dissected pigs and everyone wanted to be a doctor and find a cure for cancer. Students today are more realistic and varied, partially because of programs in our schools that expose them to a variety of fields and occupations.
Kids can explore different areas of study in and out of the classroom and then focus more successfully in college and the workplace. Dublin is fortunate to have six specialized academies, open to students from all three high schools.
The Biomedical Research Academy takes up three periods of the day, and has morning and afternoon sessions for which students travel to Scioto. The application process involves letters of recommendation, as well as a student’s GPA, ability, attitude and attendance record. Dublin teacher Roger Rabold has been involved in the biomed program since it began four years ago and says applications have increased every year.
The coursework includes AP biology, body systems, medical interventions, biomedical art and advanced research in science, which is the students’ capstone research project. 85 percent of the class are juniors, 10 percent seniors and 5 percent sophomores.
Photo courtesy of Engineering Academy
Among the benefits of the Biomedical Research Academy are the multiple speakers from different medical fields and programs of study, as well as the field trips to Lab Corp, Battelle, and nursing and medical schools. When I visited the biomed class, the students were studying the kidney and urinary systems, and Dublin pulmonologist Dr. Steven Kirkby spoke about the fatal disease cystic fibrosis, and the lung transplant he had just performed.
Students are very attentive and love studying science with other kids who share the same interests.
“I like the creative problem solving that is worked into the AP bio material,” says Dublin Coffman High School junior Aubrey Jones. “We have a lot of freedom when it comes to labs and research, so it doesn’t even feel like school work, because everyone genuinely wants to be here.”
The Dublin Engineering Academy is in its sixth year and is taught by Greg King at Coffman every morning.
“The robotics team has been successful for 15 years so we knew there was demand for an engineering program,” says Greg.
There were nine juniors and 18 seniors accepted into the academy this year, and most of them like to problem-solve and have an interest in graphic design, mathematical modeling, engineering or even nursing. The academy tries to teach real life skills that will help in the workplace, with a focus on collecting and analyzing data, creating math models, computational science, and statistical analysis. Students also do internships at locations such as Battelle and The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Lab as part of their research projects.
Photo courtesy of Engineering Academy
The Dublin Business Academy is housed at Dublin Jerome High School where students operate a full-service screen printing and design company. Experienced teachers and local business specialists offer guidance to students as they learn all aspects of running a real-world corporation. From developing business models and financial documents to managing social media and customer service, the experience is incredibly valuable. The Dublin Business Academy partners with OSU and Columbus State Community College to give credits for entrepreneurship, business management and applied marketing.
The Dublin Teachers Academy is for seniors in high school who want to become teachers and can benefit from hands-on experience. They earn three high school credits and Career-Technical Assurance Guide college credit to any Ohio public university for Education 101 if they achieve an 85/100 on their Teaching Professions portfolio. Each student interns three days per week for 2 ½ hours a day in six-week rotations. They participate in four field experiences in early childhood, middle childhood, high school and special needs classrooms for a total of 450 hours of instruction and observation.
Emma Fawcett went through the Dublin Teachers Academy and is now a junior at Ohio University and working in an elementary school classroom in Nelsonville.
“As I am teaching my students in third grade, I am always using strategies that I learned from DTA,” Emma says. “It made such a difference in my senior year and has helped me to this day.”
Photo courtesy of Engineering Academy
The Young Professionals Academy focuses on career exploration through hands-on learning via two unpaid internships in each student’s chosen area. Possibilities include observing in hospitals, flying planes and working in magazine publishing, architecture, performing arts, vet clinics and more. The students intern for 7-10 hours per week for 6 weeks and spend time in the classroom with teacher Karen Harriman.
“The YPA has been around since about 1994, long enough for former YPA students to be established in the business world and serve as mentors to current YPA teens,” says Karen.
In the classroom, students work together on interviewing, business writing skills, time management, resume building, technology instruction and problem solving.
The Information Technology Academy is a two-year program/partnership between Dublin high schools, Tolles Career and Technical Center, and Columbus State. The academy gives students a leg up for college and the workforce by teaching them up-to-date technology and providing real- world experience via internships. Teens learn basic communication skills, programming, web design, systems analysis and languages such as JavaScript, Python and HTML/CSS. During the second-year internships, the students can see how the lessons they learned apply in the business world.
“Most kids in the academy are techie by nature,” says Angie Walsh, who has taught the IT Academy for the last two years. “Some students are focused on software development and others on hardware, networking and security.”
Teens receive credit for six high school courses and 12 credit hours at Columbus State.
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
