Photo provided Education leaders from schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania visited Edison Jr./Sr. High School on April 15 as part of the Pathways in Motion Tour through EnvisionEdPlus (EEP), an innovation-focused consulting and grant-writing company which has worked with EHS and other schools to help education evolve with career-technical education (CTE) to credentialing, apprenticeships, and related opportunities.

RICHMOND – Edison Jr./Sr. High School’s career-technical education (CTE) programs have evolved to give students more exposure to opportunities, and representatives from regional school districts got a close look during a visit to the campus on April 15.

Officials from Delaware County Schools and Townsend Community Schools of Erie County in Ohio and the Gateway School District in Monroeville, Pa., stopped by with representatives of EnvisionEdPlus (EEP) during the “Pathways in Motion” tour, a two-day excursion featuring Edison and other districts throughout northeast Ohio to showcase how their work with EEP has impacted students and their potential to find success after graduation.

District Career Pathways Coach Leah Eft said EEP officials asked if EHS wanted to be part of the tour to highlight how far it has come since first getting involved with the consulting firm in 2018. She was thrilled to have Edison included to showcase the school’s CTE programs.

“I think it’s exciting. The fact that (EEP Founder and CEO) Michele Timmons chose Edison just shows what the administration has worked on for the last few years, and it’s great to have that recognition.”

She noted that EEP has been there since the very beginning and courses have evolved through time, resulting in opportunities to earn seals, certifications, and apprenticeships.

“They were part of our journey for creating pathways to planning graduation,” she said. “Since we started to do their trainings, the pathways have really evolved in grades K-12. We already had Ag courses but added three CTE’s for engineering, biomedical, and interactive media. We’re also looking to do Community Impact, which is public service jobs and helping different professions.”

Timmons explained that EEP was an innovation-focused educational consultant and grant-writing company which worked with Edison after Ohio changed its graduation requirements.

“We’ve been working with schools and helping them think differently…so kids have a better idea of what they want, what they are interested in, and what are the next steps to graduate,” she continued. “Edison has been with us this entire time. They came to one of our first sessions and have been involved in grants we’ve written. Now we’re seeing all the great things Edison has been doing over the last eight years.”

Timmons noted immense growth within Edison’s programs since the partnership began.

“When I met Leah, they were grappling with changes in graduation and now there are pathways, career-based interventions (CBI), industry credentials, great opportunities for the students, and significant partnerships with industry,” she added. “This is our first time here since we’ve been doing all of this work and I’m tickled pink to see everything in action.”

Eft led the school tour while Assistant Superintendent Julie Kireta was also on hand. The group viewed Derek Gulling’s engineering program and learned how students are gaining knowledge about aerospace, civil, computer and mechanical engineering. Gulling said students took courses each year and gained certifications, plus his pupils discussed projects they have undertaken from 3D printing to flying drones.

“This is what teaching should be,” he added. “They learn hands-on skills.”

Senior J.J. Reynolds said he was a certified drone pilot and plans to create his own roof-inspection business. He credited Gulling because he was looking to have a viable career.

Next, they stopped to view Kelli Pridemore’s FFA program, where she discussed Ag education opportunities and FFA competitions to the on-site wood and metal shops, welding shop, and greenhouse.

“We are an intracurricular program and all of the students are required to be in the FFA,” she commented. “They compete in events and it’s an extension of the curriculum.”

The tour continued with JoAnn Stagani’s Biomed courses, where the visitors viewed stations with displays and spoke with students about their studies of the healthcare field ranging from forensics to diseases. Stagani added that they also completed independent projects and the courses utilized Project Lead the Way curriculum and grant-funded equipment for the labs. The group then stopped to see junior high Ag students preparing the planting beds as they spoke with teacher Carissa Griffith about the greenhouse and planting projects. Pupils were replanting flowers from the greenhouse into the outdoor garden beds and Griffith said there were varieties of plants on tap, including flowers, vegetables and herbs. Finally, they concluded their stop with the tech pre-apprenticeship program, where District Technology Coordinator Rachael Granatir and several pupils discussed how they assisted the IT department with Chromebook repairs and related aid. At least two students work per period and gain hands-on knowledge along the way, while senior members will train underclassmen to take over the next year.

“We have a home-grown program with a help desk,” Granatir said, adding that they have also worked with local businesses and there were opportunities for summer help through tech internships.

From there, the educators gathered in the fieldhouse for a debriefing and the visitors said it gave them plenty of food for thought. Townsend Community School Superintendent/Principal Ryan Bohn said his facility worked with dropout prevention and had three satellite locations, working with six counties in total. His hope was to look at additional CTE programs over the next three to four years and fine tune programs that are currently available. Leaders from Rutherford B. Hayes High School in Delaware County echoed that sentiment, saying 1,600 students attend that school but nearly a quarter attend the area career center, and administrators were looking at providing more on-site opportunities.

Gateway Schools Superintendent Guy Rossi said his district was reviewing pathways along with work-based learning and credentialing.

“It’s always helpful to visit schools because it gives different ideas and perspectives,” Rossi added. “We can think of what can fit and what we can do well. Part of our comprehensive plan is for career pathways and giving students opportunities to explore in high school to find their interest so they can go on to college or the workforce.”