In partnership with Mid-coast School of Technology, St. George MSU is developing the nation's first PreK-12 Career & Technical Education (CTE) program. Through the GRACE Innovation Center, we are working with our educators to provide all students with access to hands-on/minds-on, technical learning connected to career and community. CTE will be integrated across grade levels and disciplines, transforming students' educational experience.
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: To re-engage students in their learning through hands-on/ minds-on, technical learning connected to career & community.™
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: To ensure students have the academic, technical, and social-emotional skills to thrive in today's workforce and create the jobs & industries of the future.
ECONOMIC GROWTH: To build a more diversified and resilient local economy that supports a thriving year-round community
Grounded in the entrepreneurial history and spirit of the St. George community, we strive to build a new model of education that integrates those skills that are essential to future success into all we do. By tightly weaving the mindset of maker education and the skills of career and technical education into everyday instruction, we will empower students, teachers, and administrators to create a learning environment that prepares students for whatever direction they travel on their learning journey.
In order to do this, we will:
Support teachers in integrating innovation and a maker mindset into classroom instruction.
Expose students to an array of professionals and the paths those individuals took to gain the skills to do their work.
Provide ample opportunities for teachers and students to value all learning styles and abilities through engagement in hands-on projects using a diverse selection of tools, ranging from scissors, glue sticks, and paper, to traditional shop tools, to evolving digital fabrication tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines.
Think outside of the box about how we schedule our school day and allocate funding to support ongoing professional development to further this vision.
Recognize the importance of perseverance, collaboration, responsibility, curiosity, adaptability, and related creative problem-solving skills, as essential components of a maker mindset that prepare students for success and will implement assessment and evaluation tools to reinforce this.
Champion the belief that, in learning, the process is often as important as the final product.
Encourage all learners to take educational risks that further their personal development.