Post by title1parent on Dec 5, 2009 7:48:06 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=341905
Wheeling High School changes its name, focus
By Sheila Ahern | Daily Herald 12/5/09
With an increased focus on math, science and engineering, Wheeling High School will officially become the Wheeling High School Math Science and Technology Academy next fall.
According to Principal Lazaro Lopez, the school's new curriculum will help students "prepare for jobs of the future and not the ones we lost in this economy."
The high school has been preparing for the change for years, adding technical classes to Wheeling's curriculum. The school also spent about $500,000 this summer to build a special lab for engineering and architectural students.
About 96 percent of Wheeling's graduates go to college - about half going to a four-year university and half going to a community college, according to Lopez.
"We have to help kids find career paths of the future, and those careers will be in health care, math and science," Lopez said.
"CNN recently released their top 10 college degrees and they were all related to math and engineering," he added. "These classes will help those kids going on to college or those kids entering the work force."
Bill Dussling, president of District 214 school board, doesn't expect other District 214 schools to follow Wheeling's lead.
"(Lopez) really pushed this for Wheeling and it's happening there because of him," Dussling said.
"I'm sure it will be successful there but I don't see other schools becoming subject specific."
Some classes Wheeling offers that other schools don't include metal working, computer integrated manufacturing and engineering design and development.
Wheeling High School also offers pre-engineering classes to some middle school students, like the Magic of Electrons and Automation and Robotics.
Some Wheeling High School students also will be able to become certified nursing assistants before they graduate - a certification that will help both students who directly enter the work force and those who eventually head to medical school, Lopez said.
Even though Wheeling is adding classes and labs, the school has many of the same English, art and music classes. They'll just might be taught in a different way.
"Where before we had traditional photography, now we have digital photography," Lopez said. "Graphic design might be incorporated into our art classes."
Technology and especially computers are a vital part of Wheeling High School, Lopez said.
"If a student doesn't have a computer at home, we give them one to use," he said. "Access to technology is that important."
In the future, Lopez wants to offer classes that focus on green technologies.
"The next big thing is jobs in the alternative energy field," he said. "Installing solar panels, repairing wind turbines, these are all thing that are going to be huge in the future."
Wheeling High School changes its name, focus
By Sheila Ahern | Daily Herald 12/5/09
With an increased focus on math, science and engineering, Wheeling High School will officially become the Wheeling High School Math Science and Technology Academy next fall.
According to Principal Lazaro Lopez, the school's new curriculum will help students "prepare for jobs of the future and not the ones we lost in this economy."
The high school has been preparing for the change for years, adding technical classes to Wheeling's curriculum. The school also spent about $500,000 this summer to build a special lab for engineering and architectural students.
About 96 percent of Wheeling's graduates go to college - about half going to a four-year university and half going to a community college, according to Lopez.
"We have to help kids find career paths of the future, and those careers will be in health care, math and science," Lopez said.
"CNN recently released their top 10 college degrees and they were all related to math and engineering," he added. "These classes will help those kids going on to college or those kids entering the work force."
Bill Dussling, president of District 214 school board, doesn't expect other District 214 schools to follow Wheeling's lead.
"(Lopez) really pushed this for Wheeling and it's happening there because of him," Dussling said.
"I'm sure it will be successful there but I don't see other schools becoming subject specific."
Some classes Wheeling offers that other schools don't include metal working, computer integrated manufacturing and engineering design and development.
Wheeling High School also offers pre-engineering classes to some middle school students, like the Magic of Electrons and Automation and Robotics.
Some Wheeling High School students also will be able to become certified nursing assistants before they graduate - a certification that will help both students who directly enter the work force and those who eventually head to medical school, Lopez said.
Even though Wheeling is adding classes and labs, the school has many of the same English, art and music classes. They'll just might be taught in a different way.
"Where before we had traditional photography, now we have digital photography," Lopez said. "Graphic design might be incorporated into our art classes."
Technology and especially computers are a vital part of Wheeling High School, Lopez said.
"If a student doesn't have a computer at home, we give them one to use," he said. "Access to technology is that important."
In the future, Lopez wants to offer classes that focus on green technologies.
"The next big thing is jobs in the alternative energy field," he said. "Installing solar panels, repairing wind turbines, these are all thing that are going to be huge in the future."