Arlen Mummau, retiring administrator of Pequea Valley High School, was concerned that the school was not adequately preparing students for life after graduation. "Around 35% of our learners are going to a four-year college," said Mummau. "But what are we doing for the (rest)? We are failing them (because) we know seven of 10 jobs in the marketplace are skilled labor jobs, but we aren't producing the workers."
Beginning with the 2019 fall semester, Mummau was leading a group of teachers in a program to change that. CORE Academy (CORE stands for Career Occupation Relative Education) began serving incoming freshman students with a program that focuses on skill development while also offering integrated instruction in math, science, social studies, and English. The current curriculum is being led by technology teachers Rob King and Josiah Moon. Tara Reed teaches English, Amy Shay teaches science, Lauren Brooks teaches math, and Janine Snyder handles social studies instruction.
Currently, CORE includes 15 freshman students interested in skills-related fields in a project-driven program that brings in teachers from other areas in unique ways. The first project the students took part in was designing the logo for the program. In addition to using graphic design skills, students were required to write and prepare oral presentations about the logos they developed. Next, the students built sheds, with Brooks teaching them the math necessary to cut the wood to the right lengths and Shay discussing different types of woods and which are best for different building needs. Snyder brought in lessons on architecture in different time periods.
Mummau explained that the CORE curriculum was designed to mimic a startup business. "We tried to operate this whole program as if it was a company starting with nothing," he said, noting that the room was nearly empty at the start of the year. "The place to hang the tools was designed and developed by them," said Mummau, who added that the students have been divided up for projects so they will learn teamwork. The sheds and other projects they build will be graded based on how well they are completed and how they sell.
During the initial phase of the program, the students are learning about electricity and plumbing. As sophomores, students will be exposed to horticulture; hydro power, solar power, and wind energy; and engine work. As juniors, they will still have CORE classes in the building, but they will also take classes that hone in on an area where they have a special interest, such as graphic arts, welding, or building construction. By senior year, they will be prepared to study off campus, possibly at a community or technical college or at the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center.
King noted that some students have already begun to focus on an area they might like to pursue. "We have one student who thinks she might want to be an electrician," he said, noting that the student exhibited characteristics that will help her succeed in that area. "She is meticulous and precise and logical," he said.
Brooks said she has seen students respond to the way math is utilized in CORE. "I think (some students) don't like to learn math because it's not applicable to what they will be doing in the real world," she said. "Our goal with this is to get these students learning math they will use on a daily basis."
Mummau added that there is more to the program than skills and teamwork. "We also want to teach service," he said. "We want to teach them about character and integrity." To fulfill that goal, the students have made cornhole games that were given to area families as Christmas gifts and worked to help complete a new homeless housing area at The Factory Ministries in Paradise.
Brooks noted she has seen significant changes in students' abilities since the start of school. "On day one, (some) didn't know how to run the saw," she said, noting that the sheds took months to build because the students were new learners. "But in the (future), we will build another one, and I bet it will be done in a week," she said with a grin.
Leave a Review