During Seminole Warhawks Varsity football games, Cassidy Brooks has a front row seat. She snaps pictures of football players as they make touchdowns or tackles.
After covering a game for the Sports Career Institute at Seminole High School in Pinellas County, Fla., she edits her photos and publishes them on its website.
“It gives me an opportunity to build a portfolio,” said Brooks, a senior. “I might be interested in pursuing a career in the sports. It is something I really enjoy doing. It doesn’t feel like work. It is just a fun thing.”
The academy is one of seven the school offers as part of a personalized learning initiative that began in 2014. The academies give students more choices and real-world experience in fields that interest them.
The school continues to provide a core curriculum in conjunction with the academies. The new structure, the first of its kind in Pinellas County schools, is part of broader a push to tailor instruction to students’ individual needs, strengths and interests.
Administrators designed the academies with college majors in mind.
“What we realize is that sports management is one of the fastest-growing degrees at the college level,” said Charles Miller, director of the sports academy. “We wanted to create a program that gives kids real-world experiences if they are interested in having a career in the sports world.”
The academy creates five different jobs for students to participate in covering sports at the school: reporter/photographer, coaching, sports medicine, training and broadcast sports journalism.
Miller said he hopes to develop a partnership with the Tampa Bay Times so students can take internships at the paper. The school is also in discussions with Eckerd College to create learning opportunities.
Chase Wiley, a student at Seminole High’s Engineering Academy, said he does lots of hands-on projects.
“We really learned a lot about engineering,” he said. “We have to think for ourselves and learn on our own by doing the projects itself.”
Another student, Meg Hall, said she enjoys participating in the Academy for the Advancement and Achievement in the Arts.
“We get to create our own performances and put them on ourselves,” she said. “The music is always a good way of expressing yourself. You can pick your own solos. It is collaborating to do different songs.”
William Scales directs the school’s Academy of E-Commerce, focused on the intersection of business and technology. He said the school wants to get students excited about learning.
“The bulk of it is really tapping into where these kids’ interests lie and what their talents are and bringing in all other components to something they enjoy,” he said.
Samantha Keim, a senior, took part in, the Warhawk Shop. Named for Seminole’s mascot, it sells school merchandise online. The retail venture raised $85,000 for the school. Keim said pitching ideas helped her prepare for a career in business.
“It helped me build my presentation skills,” she said.
Scales said that experience can open doors for students after they graduate.
“They are going to walk out with a full resume of experience that can be applied to real life,” he said. “We offer them the opportunity to gain industry certifications when they walk across the stage regardless of what path they (choose), whether college or the workforce, they have something to show for themselves.”
Other academies include the Graphic Media Communications Academy and iHawk academy, a blended learning program.
