Northern Summit Academy Creates A Bridge Between School and Career

Northern Summit Academy, a tuition-free, public charter school in Anderson, focuses on helping its almost 200 students create goals for a future career and life after high school graduation. According to the charter for the school, which was formed in 2019, “We want students to enter into post high school pursuits with the confidence that their education, personal wellbeing and contributions as members of a global society are valuable and personally controllable.”

Career and Technical Education provides pathways for careers

Helping them build that confidence is Northern Summit’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program for 6th-12th graders, one of the most extensive in Northern California. CTE’s different pathways for specific occupations are meant to bridge the gap between high school and career or college.

Using resources and curriculum from the California Resource Network and California CareerZone, Northern Summit Academy currently offers CTE programs for Forestry, Veterinary Assistance, Entrepreneurship, Business Management, Professional Sales, Nutrition & Dietetic, Education, I.T., Performing Arts, and Food Service & Hospitality. In addition to their general academic requirements, students will have completed 300 hours of CTE instruction by the time they graduate.

The work starts slowly in sixth grade

Work starts in sixth grade, with students taking time each week to explore their interests. Melisa Armstrong, CTE Coordinator and Veterinary Assistant Pathway instructor, says, “This is a first step into getting them to think about what they may want to do for a career. I spend time showing them videos about all sorts of different careers. We play a ‘Name that Job’ game, where students are given clues about tasks from different career fields.” By the time students reach eighth grade, they begin taking field trips to learn firsthand about career options.

“Having this time of career exploration is really important,” says Julia Knight, Executive Director and instructor for the Hospitality/Food & Entrepreneurship pathway. “Students in general have a limited personal history with different careers. How else would they know what their options are?”

The real planning starts in high school

High school is where the real planning starts. At the beginning of the first year, and every year after, students create or revise a 10-year plan for themselves. “The plan is fluid and flexible, students can always change their minds about what direction they want to work towards,” Melisa says. “What’s important is that they are putting thought and effort into their own future. The 10-year plan is a tool that they take with them after graduating. They still may change their mind about careers, but they know how to look at their plan and revise it for their new pursuits.”

Students will work on building portfolios and resumes and will do presentations about budgeting for life using real financial realities. Sometimes the goal is a little far-fetched. “One year I had a student that wanted to become a rally car racer,” said Melissa. “He revised his 10-year plan and set forth learning about that. Ultimately however, he decided that was not what he wanted to do. You can’t ignore a student’s excitement and curiosity. I do my best to show them the reality of that career and let them make an educated decision on their own.”

Opportunities for first-hand experience

Julia says, “CTE is different from high school electives. The programs are much more in-depth and hands-on about what you need to know to pursue that career. The goal is to have them either work- or college-bound when they graduate.” During high school there are opportunities for firsthand experiences and internships. “Two years ago, the three veterinarian assistant interns were all offered jobs when they graduated, “Julia says.

Both instructors acknowledge the support of their school’s board towards building this program and the success of their students. They believe that students who are inspired to start a career are more driven to do well in their general academics. “Every year, we are looking to add more pathways to our program. The school board is supportive to help staff get credentialed to work in the CTE program,” Julia says.

The school moved into a new location before the pandemic, though this is the first school year that students have gotten to spend in it. “There are still some things on hold due to Covid,” Julia says. “We have a lot of cool equipment waiting in the workspace for those programs to resume. We are starting up Monday Workshops, which is another opportunity for kids to try new things.” The school hosted a job fair on January 26 and encourages students to attend job fairs at the local colleges. “Our biggest goal is getting kids to understand that they can control their future,” she says.