SCHOOLS: Off campus courses open doors

From the culinary arts to veterinary assistants to wildland firefighting, off-campus courses open doors in every direction. They prepare students for employment by giving them hands on experience, career exploration and in some cases, certifications.

Eligible juniors and seniors, who are on track to graduate, are given the option to take district wide classes unavailable at their own school at other schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District. A wide variety of courses are available: welding and American sign language at Colony High, auto mechanics at Wasilla, certified nursing assistant, private pilot ground school, and forest health and protection at Career Technical High School.

While these courses offer opportunities, often times they come at a cost. Transportation is provided by the district, but the buses take students and bring them back at a certain times, leaving those who attend schools with differing block schedules waiting for the buses for up to an hour or more. For some, the schedule conflicts can be a heavy burden, but others use the time as a study hall to get school work done.

“It’s honestly helped me with my grades. Now that I have the extra hour, I get bored enough to actually do my work,” Zachariah Griffin said.

Other scheduling problems arise because off campus classes take up to three class periods for just one or two credits. This is why only juniors and seniors on track to graduate and have the credit wiggle room to take these courses are able to take advantage of district wide courses.

Despite the difficulties many students believe it to be worth it because of the hands on experience and the certifications.

WHS junior Phoebe Christiansen takes Intro to Fitness Professions offered at Career Tech. The course covers the different athletic fields such as physical training, personal training, physical therapy. At the end of the semester students completing the class will be certified in first aid, sports official training to be referees, ski patrol and rock climbing belay. Christiansen will leave the class job ready experience and the ability to apply for jobs in the field she wishes to pursue right after graduation.

“We have kids who have graduated from high school that are certified to be CNAs or EMT 1, which is the lowest level. But then they can go up through that rank or become certified as a vet tech. So that’s an actual license they have and a real skill set that they can go apply to jobs with after graduation,” Wasilla High counselor Beth Smart said.

Kindall Rumbo is a junior at Wasilla High.