Eighth grade students across Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District are gearing up for the 2015 – 2016 academic school year. As part of the pre-registration process, each middle school campus will visit its respective high school through the end of January.
Wednesday morning, Gutierrez Middle School students toured the Harlingen High School campus to learn about different career pathways and to get a better idea of which endorsement area they will select.
“I think this is a wonderful experience for our students to get them motivated and thinking ahead, said Alicia Moore HHS interim head counselor. “This is the first year that we’re conducting the tour, and they really seem to be enjoying the different areas. We are moving into House Bill 5 with endorsements, so now students have the opportunity to receive an endorsement upon graduation in their selected field.”
House Bill 5 will allow high school students to graduate with an endorsement in one out of five areas: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Public Service, Business and Industry, Arts and Humanities, and Multidisciplinary Studies.
During their visit, eighth graders were able to view demonstrations, meet HHS teachers and students, and get an overview on potential fields of study.
“I like walking around and going into all the classrooms cause you can meet your teachers and see what they are like,” said eighth grade GMS student Rachel Bennet. “Now I know what to expect. Touring the classrooms allows students to grasp what the career pathways are all about. I think that this is a lot better than sitting in a room hearing about it.”
Students took turns visiting each of the classrooms, and discovered new things at every corner. They were able to see high school students film their projects, looked at bottle rockets, saw small animals that high school students work with, and learned how to take a patient’s pulse.
“Everything that we’ve been shown today has been really interesting,” said eighth grade GMS student John Yeupell. “It’s more than I expected, and I think that it will really enhance our understanding of the different areas. There are so many trades that you can get into just as you’re starting your high school career, it’s astonishing.”
Moore hopes that in choosing an area of study, students can try out a trade and decide for themselves what will be the best fit before they enter college and select a major.
With pre-registration beginning in February, the goal of the tours is to help students decide on a career pathway to start as they move into their ninth grade year at the Dr. Abraham P. Cano Freshman Academy. Students who pre-register will be entered into a drawing for a Cinemark gift card.
Pre-registration dates are as follows:
2/2/15 Vela MS 3:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Cano Freshman Academy
2/10/15 Gutierrez MS 3:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Cano Freshman Academy
2/17/15 Vernon MS 3:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Cano Freshman Academy
2/24/15 Memorial MS 3:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Cano Freshman Academy
3/3/15 Coakley MS 3:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Cano Freshman Academy
Click here to see photos of the Harlingen High School tour.
Click here to see photos of the Harlingen South tour.
