Career Academy Programs
Contact: Mrs. Elizabeth Cooper, Signature Coordinator
Career Academy Pathways / Capstone programs provide an opportunity for students to complete coursework related to career themes in preparation for future education and careers. The interests, needs, and academic goals of each student determine what pathway they enter and what courses they choose.
Affiliation with a career academy does not mean students are being asked to choose a career while in high school. Academy activities expose students to concepts and information that broaden their understanding of workplace opportunities and expectations. Students are not limited to courses in their pathways or academies. In fact, academies often share courses that are interdisciplinary, so students from several academies might take the same course. As part of our pathway development, we have added some unique course opportunities and sequences that were previously unavailable at Blake. As always, students may take any courses of interest offered at Blake. Academy pathways guide students in their course choices, but students are not required to complete a course sequence.
Those students who do complete a required sequence of academy courses and a related capstone experience receive an academy capstone certification. Learning is most successful when it can be connected to specific, concrete applications. Capstone Experiences allow students to apply their academic education to authentic, real-world projects and further develop leadership and teamwork skills. Capstones at Blake might be an internship at a theater, business or science lab; a research project mentored by a NASA scientist, museum curator, or IBM executive; a video documentary, dance or music composition, or student-directed play completed for entry into a national competition; a leadership position responsible for producing a Blake activity or event. Staff and career professionals mentor students as they demonstrate their applied learning in these settings.
Earning an Academy Capstone
Check out these slides for an overview of the program at Blake High School as well as details on the specific recommended pathways and the requirements for certification. All Capstones must be approved by our Signature Coordinator. Students can submit proposals throughout the year, but the deadline for proposals for the Class of 2022 is JANUARY 7, 2022.
To earn an academy capstone certification, students must earn a total of THREE credits in courses within specific academies. It is possible to create your own unique pathway combining various academies as long as your capstone project ties the learning together from all three chosen courses. All Capstone projects must be done outside of the school day and reflect a MINIMUM of 75 hours of additional work. You will be required to submit a log of your hours, so keep track of them! You can use this sheet to log your hours, or you can submit your own log. Students must also be ready to present their completed Capstone projects at a Blake Capstone event (April / May, details TBD).
Submitting a Proposal for a Capstone project
Students who would like to submit a proposal for a capstone project must submit their proposal here.
Completed an Approved Capstone project?
Submit details about your completed application, including linking your logged hours sheet and copies of your paper / presentation / video here. Please be sure that all documents are shared with and accessible by Mrs. Cooper