CedarBridge Academy Showcase Opportunities
[Written by Anya Thompson]
M3 students from the Public Middle Schools attended an Open House at CedarBridge Academy on October 4. They were welcomed by the principal, Mr Kenneth Caesar, the school’s transformation coordinator, Dr Stacey deShield, and student leaders.
During the welcoming session, Mrs Natasha Thomas, Instructional Leader for English and Co-Lead of the CedarBridge Academy School Transformation Team, gave the M3 students an overview of the Signature Learning Programs [SLPs] that are currently available at CedarBridge Academy.
These include Trades and Professions and STEM. Students were given an outline of the strands included in each Signature Learning Program. Currently, the Trades & Professions SLPs offer six [6] strands geared to promote professional trajectories in Automotive Technology, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts & Hospitality, Textile & Design, and Electrical. Our STEM SLP, on the other hand, includes five [5] strands designed to support professional pathways in Creative Technologies, Computer Science, Animal/Veterinary Science, Engineering, and Environmental Sciences.
The M3’s were encouraged to draw parallels between their current passions and potential professional ambitions and the Signature Learning Programs offered by CedarBridge Academy. Students were also given the recommended sequence of courses [from S1 to S4] for each strand of the Signature Learning Programs. They were also informed about some of the external certifications that they can obtain while studying courses in their SLP, which include, but are not limited to, certifications from Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education [IGCSE], City & Guilds, Advanced Placement [AP], Business and Technology Education Council [BTEC], and The National Center for Construction Education and Research [NCCER].
Additionally, students were given a quick introduction to Project Based Learning, which will supplement our school’s new and existing curriculums. This, together with the experiential learning opportunities, seemed to pique their attention – yet they were reminded of the necessity of the rigorous and meaningful learning experiences they will gain in their core disciplines. Finally, students were reassured that, while they will choose a Signature Learning Program upon admission to CedarBridge Academy, they will have numerous opportunities to discuss their program with an advisor and a school counselor to ensure that they are having both an enjoyable and meaningful learning experience.
The following displays were available for students to experience hands on activities as well as live demonstrations.
STEM
- Creative Technologies
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Science
The Team was: Mrs Latoya Francis [Instructional Leader, Ms Shervelle Burch, Ms Dawn Burgess, Mr Dean Foggo, Mrs Shoa Wolfe, and Ms Kimberley Tucker. Special Mention goes out to Mrs Show Wolfe for assisting with organizing this year’s open house.
Trades & Professions
- Automotive
- Cosmetology
- Culinary Arts
- Electrical
- Engineering
- Textiles and Design
- Visual Art
This team was: Mr Hosang Clarke [Instructional Leader], Mrs Joanne Anderson, Mrs Golda DeMattos, Ms Lanna Holder, Ms Tona Landy, Mr Richard Lindsay and Mrs Vivian Millings.
The M3 students will carry with them the memories of this Open House, a window into a world of limitless potential in STEM, trades, and professions.
A great report with great photos. This is great news for students.
Let’s add Health careers – Nurses to the Signature Learning Programs. We so desperately need them.
The article does specifically mention “Animal/Veterinary Science”. Humans are mammals. Mammals are animals. So your suggestion is consistent with what the PLP Government has already said.