Newcourseoptions expand learning horizon

High schoolssee growth in trade-focusedprograms

LENZYKREHBIEL-BURTON

TulsaWorld

Tape measures and table saws areshowing back up in local classrooms thankstothe growth of trade-focused programs at high schoolsaround the Tulsaarea.

“Our goal is to find relevant opportunities forour kids to motivate them to want to stay in school,” Union AssociateSuperintendent Charlie Bushyheadsaid. “Just like fine artsorathletics puts ahook in them, ourconstruction programisanother waytodothat. It goes back to howwecan provide ourkids with arelevant education and something theyenjoy.”

When Union officials initially pitchedthe ideaofanintroduction to construction course to studentsthree yearsago,theywere hoping to getenough to fill asingle classof25students.

Instead, about 150students pre-enrolled forthe firstyear. Made possible in large part through partnershipswith the Home Builders Association and other local businesses, Union’s construction programhas now growntoinclude morethan 300 students—enough to justify needing three instructorsplus afull-time Spanish-speaking teacher assistant.

Bushyheadsaidthat although thereisalittle duplication with some of the programs available through TulsaTechnologyCenter, notevery Union student interested in aconstructionclass is necessarilyable to go the Tulsa Tech routedue to classschedule conflictsor other factors, hence the need foranon-campus option.

“Wehavealot of kids whoaren’table to getintoTulsa Tech or aren’table to adjust their schedule to go,” he said, noting that Union’s programisdesigned to be accessiblefor all high school grades “Our goal is just to provide that alternative.”

To thewest, the construction programatNathan HaleHigh School is alsogrowing. Hale’s construction teacher,Kent Harris,has almost 130studentsthis year with each section at capacity.

Designed to potentiallyfeed intomorespecialized classesat TulsaTech, studentswho completeboth yearsofHale’sprogram will have the opportunitytosit forthe Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s10-hour certification exam.

Alongwithworkplacesafety fundamentals,Harris’ students areintroduced to carpentry, roofing, molding, flooring and electricalwork. Inaddition to providing areal-lifeapplication forfractions,angles and other concepts coveredintheir math classes, for severalstudents, it is alsoachance to getinsome extrapractice on skills learned while working with familymembersinthe industry.

“I’ve been working construction as long as Ican remember and I’ve reallyliked it,”Hale sophomoreJoaquin Gonzalezsaid, noting thatheisplanning to take electrical classesatTulsa Tech in part becauseofhis classroom experience.

The increased interest from studentsinhands-onclasseshas notjust been limited to constructionprograms East Central High School began offering afour-course sequencein August that covers the material needed to coverthe Federal AviationAdministration’s mechanic certification exam East Central’sprogram uses a curriculumdeveloped through apartnership among Clemson

University, ARCS Aviation, the Aviation Technician Education Council and Choose Aerospace, a trade association of aviation and aerospace companies.

Sinceits launch in August,no studentshavetransferred out of the aerospace program, prompting officials at East Central to start lookingatthe school’smasterschedule for2023-2024 school year to seeifanadditional section canbeadded to better accommodatestudent interest.

EchoingBushyhead, both Harris and officials at East Central said their schools’ programs would not be successful without outside help.Along withhelping facilitate access to materials and tools,Harris, East Central aerospace teacherDwight Long and East Central PrincipalGina Wilson alsospecificallypointed to sitevisitsand guest speakers from industryprofessionals as critical componentstoreinforcing the material and keeping the studentsengaged.

“Somanypartnershavepushed in to help,” Wilson said. “Aswe finish asection, we go on a field trip and do the hands-on portion of what we just coveredin the book. That is the key pieceto keeping the studentsinterested and making suretheyknowexactlywhat they’re getting into.” lenzy.krehbiel-burton @tulsaworld.com