Grand Island Senior High Launches Revamped Academies & Pathways Model

GRAND ISLAND (NE) — The Academies of Grand Island Senior (GISH) will have a revamped look for innovative education starting next school year.
Kicking-off in August 2024, GISH will offer an updated suite of learning opportunities through five Academies and eleven Pathways for all Senior High Students.

Here is how the new model will look:

Academy of Freshman Exploration
-Freshman learn about all the Academies and Pathways

Academy of Medical Sciences & Education
-Healthcare Pathway
-Sports Medicine & Therapy Pathway
-Emergency Services Pathway
-Education Pathway

Academy of Business & Communication
-Finance Pathway
-Entrepreneurship Pathway

Academy of Technical Sciences
-Automotive & Diesel Pathway
-Construction Pathway
-Manufacturing Pathway

Academy of Engineering & Technology
-Engineering Pathway
-Architecture Pathway

The GISH Academies model was built with a commitment to taking a deep-dive every five years into evaluating course offerings, program opportunities, and overall student experiences.  Aiming to provide learning that empowers students to be competitive in high-demand job markets and higher education institutions, part of the revamp has focused on being responsive to the ever-evolving job markets and higher learning opportunities.

“We are extremely excited about the future of the Academies of Grand Island Senior High!” Jeff Gilbertson, GISH Executive Principal, shared, “Our ability to provide careful self examination and refinement will positively impact our students. With great responsibility we are ensuring the improvement, efficiency, and high quality education for all of our students.”

Along the way, other course adjustments will be made to continue providing high-quality learning opportunities to students. Other notable Pathway updates include:

Ensuring and improving the quality of a career academy requires engaging in a regular cycle of improvement has been our focus throughout this process. The refinements we are making will strengthen our alignment to the National Career Academy Coalition and their National Standards of Practice.

Continuing to offer Information Technology (IT) and Welding but as elective opportunities for students.

Adding a Digital Arts class to the art department.  Striv will still be an available activity.  Also adding Yearbook into the Journalism program alongside the student newspaper.  All of these offerings will be strong opportunities for students interested in pursuing different multimedia.  

GISH job shadowing, internship, and registered apprenticeship opportunities will continue as they always have. 

How did GISH land on this new look for the Academies and Pathways?

The process started three months ago. GISH Administration carefully reviewed all the learning opportunities the school has offered since launching the Academies.  A consistent evaluation criteria was followed along the way:

-Alignment with the College & Career Continuum
-Class sizes and growth over the last five years
-Job market demands in our community, statewide, and across the country
-Efficiencies in budget spending
-Facility needs
-Staffing sustainability for specialized course and career offerings
-Overall learning experiences for our Islander students

After thorough evaluation, the GISH Administration Team mapped out this new Academy & Pathways model and presented it to the GIPS District Leadership.  With district support, GISH and GIPS have been able to refine the innovative, career-focused approach to learning in a way that will strengthen the Academies going forward.

“As we dove into the challenge of redesigning our Academy model we had the needs of our students and community as our central focus.” Matt Fisher, GIPS Superintendent, said, “We recognized that financial and staffing constraints dictated some change but we wanted to preserve as many opportunities for our students as possible.  I believe the plan that has been developed both addresses needs and continues us on a path where our students have great learning opportunities.”

Going forward, Sophomores (10th Graders) enrolled in a Pathway no longer offered will have the opportunity to select another Pathway and will have their new top selection prioritized.

Additionally, Juniors (11th Graders) enrolled in a Pathway no longer offered will have the opportunity to take the Capstone Course during Senior year.  This option allows current Juniors to earn the credit required to graduate with their Pathway.

Academy Counselors and Principals will be facilitating this process for all impacted students and families.  GISH encourages students and families to reach out to set-up a time to meet one-on-one to explore our new education opportunities. 

What’s next for GISH?

A few opportunities are still being considered for placement of specific Pathways and programs at different campuses — specifically with Senior High, CPI, Wyandotte, and the Islander Annex.

More will be shared as decisions are made in the coming months. District administrators will be sharing at upcoming GIPS Board of Education meetings more about district budget updates and details on our new looks for the Academies & Pathways.

Grand Island Public Schools is excited about the future of the Academies at Grand Island Senior High!  Together the aim will continue to ensure all students have an incredible experience individually, personalized just for them.