Elida Middle School eighth grader Willow Shaner practices drawing blood on a replica arm in Elida Middle School’s new career exploration lab.
ELIDA — In Elida Middle School’s new Career Exploration Lab, students are drawing blood from replica arms, designing key chains on 3D printers and making videos in front of a green screen.
The intensive course is available to seventh and eighth graders and involves students rotating through 16 stations that mimic popular careers such as paramedicine, welding, cosmetology and drone technology.
Each station begins with research and then students experience something as close to the everyday life of the person they are studying as possible in a middle school classroom.
They design and build cell phone stands from scratch, which involves cutting, drilling and gluing pieces of plywood to form a stand that fits your phone perfectly.
They measure your finger, calculate the size and input the measurements into a 3D printer to design a custom ring.
They set splints and apply makeup, just as they go into sports medicine and cosmetology.
Students quickly learn what they enjoy and rule out career paths they may have previously considered.
“Every player I coach wants to be a trainer until they pull their socks up,” said Mitch Monfort, who teaches a new course that began this year.
“They’re taping ankles, they’re taping broken toes. … They say, ‘I want to go watch sports,’ but you’re working. You’re running from site to site.”
Career exploration labs and hands-on career technical programs are growing in popularity as the Ohio Department of Education and Labor encourages schools to incorporate career pathways and workplace readiness into their curricula.
ODEW awarded Bath schools a $2 million grant in March to expand the district’s career technical programs, including a new college and career readiness lab that the high school opened this week.
Perry schools have allocated funds for a similar program, which is currently in the planning stages.
Wapakoneta High School opened a makerspace last year where students can practice using 3D printers and modeling software.
Lima schools are in the early stages of implementing a new Career Pathways Lab for middle school students. The district already operates its own career-technical school, complete with a recording studio, welding lab, auto garage and student-run restaurant, and received a 4.5-star rating in the most recent state report card.
Elida’s Career Exploration Lab replaced a middle school character and leadership class in which students took an inventory of their interests and researched careers.
Principal Doug Drury said the school wants to offer students more in-depth, experiential courses to prepare them for career choices in high school, so they can find out early on whether they want to pursue a college degree or technical certification.
“They’re not just reading about (the jobs),” Drury said. “I know they’re not going to be trained to build bridges or be a welder, but it’s an opportunity to see what the job is like.”
