Superintendent Bice visits PCHS

Students at Pell City High School have the opportunity to graduate high school one step ahead of the majority of other graduates. With the help of the school’s Health Science Program Partnerships, students are able to obtain a Pharmacy Technician license or a Nursing Assistant certification.

The classes required for these certifications are offered as electives to students. The licensing that they receive from the competition of these courses and the passing of the test at the summation of the course would cost over $1,000 at Jefferson State Community College. Students can use their training to begin a job in their career field or take that knowledge and apply it to furthering their education.

The students involved in the courses have shown academic excellences throughout the program, and PCHS Principal Tony Dowdy foresees that level of enthusiasm for learning to continue and grow in the future.

“The most beneficial aspect of these courses is the students’ interest,” Dowdy said. “These courses give them a drive for their future career plans. For them, these classes are relevant and exciting. This sets them up for success and they recognize and appreciate that.”

In the same way that this prepares students for a career in the field they love, it can also serve as guidance for future career direction. Dowdy believes that this program can also help students recognize if health science is the not the field they want to be in, saving them to cost and time of not realize that until they’re involved in a college program.

“I was going to be an ultrasound technician, but after going through this course, I plan on following a career in pharmacy,” Justine Nicholson, a senior student pursuing a Pharmacy Technician License said. “Like a lot of people, I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I got older and this program helped me figure it out.”

These classes have been increasing in popularity with students, and faculty plans on an increase in course options in the future. That success rate has not gone unnoticed.

State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice, along with several other representatives from the Alabama State Department of Education visited PCHS to learn more about the programs offered in Pell City. This visit is a part of the Celebrate Innovation tour the ALSDE is hosting. PCHS was one of the schools throughout the state that was recognized for its innovative and progressive programs.

“I have been amazed at the response I’m getting from students about these classes,” Dr. Bice said. “They are connecting their academics with the real world, they can articulate about how these classes lead them to their future, and this is a perfect example of real world learning.”

One of the main focuses inside the classrooms is to help students correlate their coursework with their future careers. They are given hands-on projects and teachers provide them with realistic examples from the field.

“These courses help kids understand how what they learn in school transfers to their future,” Kim Williams, the Curriculum Coordinator for the Pell City school system said. “That makes the content more relevant to them.”

The teachers in the classrooms have experience in the field they are teaching, thus providing students with a resource connecting them to the outside world. The Pharmaceutical Technician class is taught by a previous nurse and a current pharmacist. The Nursing Assistant class is taught by an experienced nurse.

“These programs connect the real world with the classroom,” Rachael Tawbush, a Biomedical teacher said. “They get their hands on equipment I didn’t see until I was in grad school.”

The students involved in the programs have certainly learned a lot in the classroom, but the instructors and material have also taught them a lot about life after graduation. Many students enter these programs unsure of future plans, and having the experience exposes them to career options they may have never considered.

“I wanted to be an accountant at the beginning of the year, until I took this class,” Erin Kelley, a senior in the Pharmaceutical Technician program said. “But now, I am going to AUM for four years of medical school and then Auburn for four more years. Without this course, I probably wouldn’t even know I wanted to be in the medical field.”

Students who are interested in careers in the medical industry have found the courses to be a solid introduction into their field.

“I plan on going to med school in the future, and this class has opened so many doors for me,” Peyton Cofer, a student pursuing a lenience as a Pharmaceutical Technician said. “For me, I will go into medical school knowing about how these drugs work and what organs they work on. The program is a great entry into the medical field.”

As the student interest for these programs grow, so will the opportunities. Faculty is eager to expand the reach of these programs as much as possible.

“Learning is a lifelong achievement,” Principal Dowdy said. “We want students to take the knowledge they gain in these courses and use it to benefit their education, now and for the rest of their lives.”