Guest post by Cameron Soester

Milford High School places great importance on non-core classes. Our career and technical education (CTE) courses and organizations have experienced tremendous success over the years. Much of this success is due to the dedicated staff members who do whatever it takes to allow students to explore their passions within the curriculum. To maintain the strength of these programs, we have devoted time and effort to renew and rejuvenate our CTE programs.

To include more students in CTE, we have begun offering a larger and more diverse catalog, adding courses in graphic design, screen printing, 3-D printing, robotics, and broadcasting. Our dual-credit offerings through career academies have also expanded, with more opportunites available through the local community college and other colleges and universities. And our senior seminar allows students to tailor their learning to suit their passions. Though it was a challenge to fit these new course offerings into our master schedule, our staff was willing to step up to benefit our students. Our principal even co-teaches the screen printing course (one of his passions) with another staff member.

Each of these courses brings something unique to our school. Students in our graphic design and screen printing program make many of the T-shirts for sports, clubs, activities and even a few community organizations. Our robotics students put their STEM skills to the test by creating VEX robot systems with which they will soon compete. Through our broadcasting class, students live stream all of our home events and make school promotional videos. Our dual high school/college credit program helped two students earn 27 college credits, with another 14 students (out of a class of 55) earning 12 hours of college.

One of the most exciting additions to our CTE program is senior seminar, a course that allows students to choose a topic to study for a semester and apply the knowledge and skills they learn in an interactive, self-directed project. Senior seminar provides opportunities for students to explore areas not offered at our school or to learn more about a topic on their own. Through this course, students have taken up photography, built custom duck blinds, and utilized our new computer numerical control equipment to develop outstanding projects.

Many of these expansions have been a part of a larger strategic plan made possible by an anonymous donation. Although some of these things happen every day in other schools across the country, the focus on these items, as well as our achievement in core classes, has made a lasting effect on the students of Milford Jr/Sr High School. When developing semester schedules, our students see all of the unique possibilities offered at MHS, which hopefully supports their career choices.

Milford Public Schools is driven by our motto, “Everyone has a story … make yours worth telling.” We have embraced this motto and allowed our students to develop some of their own stories through the CTE program. The culture we have created is one that promotes and rewards personal growth alongside the traditional student experience.

What types of programs or activities do you have that allow students to explore their passions? When and how do you incorporate student passions into your core curriculum?

Cameron Soester is the 2016 Nebraska Assistant Principal of the Year. He is currently the assistant principal at Milford Junior/Senior High School in Milford, NE.

About the Author

Cameron Soester is the 2016 Nebraska Assistant Principal of the Year. He is currently the assistant principal at Milford Junior/Senior High School in Milford, NE.

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