Exploring Career Pathways
Bartow College and Career Academy is a dedicated campus utilized by the entire Bartow District as a college preparatory. With courses covering careers from cosmetology to phlebotomy to health care to media productions, every student is given an opportunity to explore career pathways that call to them.
Robin Morrow, Bartow County’s STEM, Gifted, and Robotics Support Teacher, fills us in on the ways they are using Woz ED kits and other STEM resources to demonstrate a wide variety of skill sets within traditional career pathways. Morrow began her journey as a classroom teacher and gradually worked her way through many computer and technology related roles, which landed her where she is today, supporting Bartow’s STEM, Gifted, and Robotics programs as they implement new resources and thrive.
Bartow County School District is made up of 12 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools, and The College and Career Academy. BCCCA is a second home for any of Bartow’s 10th-12th grade student body, an exciting place where they get to spend part of their day learning the skills that will be necessary in future careers.
The Day to Day
Bartow College and Career Academy is home to the district’s pre-school, which remains on this campus year round. Outside of that, the academy is home to college prep courses, the Innovation Lab, where science and technology related courses are taught, and to the STEM, Gifted, and Robotics department; each of these serve students across the district.
Students visit The College and Career Academy during either their morning block period or afternoon block period to take classes which relate to their chosen career pathway. For example, if they choose the engineering pathway, they will learn how to build and pilot drones, solve complex problems with technology, and use the engineering design process.
Children at the elementary level take group field trips to Bartow’s STEM Innovation Center and participate in a curriculum created by Morrow and other administrators based on education standards, with future career development in mind. We caught up with Morrow just after the first and second graders left for the day. They are learning about gardening and pollination patterns.
Community Action
Another incredible aspect of Bartow’s STEM program is the participation of the greater Cartersville community. They often have members of the community who work in various professions come present to the children and talk about their trade.
Recently, students were presented with a real-life business problem that a local gardening company was facing. They were tasked with finding a solution using all of the information and skills they’ve been learning in their pollination class. These solutions were then presented to the company. This is just one example of the ways in which even Bartow’s youngest students are being introduced to future opportunities. Morrow reflects on the innovation of her students. Often, younger people have an ability to imagine and conceptualize solutions in a much different way than adults and it is inspiring to witness this.
The Domino Effect
Although there are many neighboring school districts in Georgia that are exploring STEM programs and similar preparatory curriculum, Bartow seems to be a district to watch. Morrow tells us that there is not a day that goes by that she does not receive a request from other educators to come “check out what we are doing.” They want to see how Bartow has successfully modeled their program in a way which ignites engagement and growth.
One of Morrow’s weekly tasks is to attend “STEM walks.” She visits various Bartow campuses with other people in her department and, often, community members, families, or other educators, to provide feedback on the school’s STEM journey. From there, she makes helpful suggestions as to what could be added or changed for the betterment of the students and teachers. Woz ED STEM kits have been a fairly easy addition as they come with in depth guides and all necessary resources.
She supports the STEM and Robotics program amongst students and she looks forward to the interactions she has with students who are excited to tell her about their latest projects, competitions, or interests. When students enter her space it doesn’t take very long for them to ignore their cell phones because they quickly find themselves enthralled with the material. They look forward to the times they can learn about animation or how to build robots and drones.
Morow tells us,
“Every student needs someone to advocate for them, needs someone to champion them, and needs to find their little spark and cultivate that spark to shine brightly.” Robin and the rest of the Bartow team are determined to cultivate that spark and introduce students to all the possibilities that their futures hold.
