Senior Emelia Bergstrom wanted to be a teacher when she signed up for a Summit Academy class, introduction to education, at Jordan High School.

She realized through the course of the semester it wasn’t for her, but it led her down an unexpected road – to business finance in education.

“It helped me realize that that (being a teacher) wasn’t my exact path, but I still thought it was the perfect opportunity,” she said.

This spring semester, the high school launched Summit Academy – courses with hands-on learning.

Introduction to education and business, marketing and economics courses were open for business this semester and next year the school is adding multicultural education and human relations in schools and health care and medicine.

High School Principal Jeff Vizenor got inspiration from other area schools, such as Shakopee, and traveled to Overland Park, Kansas, where these centers for advanced professional studies (CAPS) started.

“They were the gurus, they were the people that know the most and they’ve been doing it for 15 years or more and really have it moving along,” Vizenor said.

It was similar to a technical college for students, Vizenor said, with classes from education to medical to computer graphics.

Shakopee’s academy classes will be treated more as electives when they begin next year.

For the introduction to education classes, students get college credit from Normandale Community College in Bloomington, as well as an elective and English credit.

Introduction to education teacher Erin Hjelmeland said college credits are essential for students.

“It takes some of the cost burdens away from the students,” she said. “It holds them to a pretty high standard because they’re already working on a core secondary level and it just really offers that experience to get them ready for that next step.”

The 25-student class gives a snapshot of tools teachers need, such as lesson planning, classroom behavior and positive management skills.

Toward the end of the course, students are paired up with a classroom to get real-life experience with middle school and elementary students.

Bergstrom and fellow senior Odin Pass both agreed it was their favorite part of the class.

“It felt like you were doing something more than just in a classroom type of thing plus you got to know the kids,” Pass said. “I knew that there were definitely a handful of kids who are planning to be a teacher and having them do that completely solidified any thought they had on it.”

And that was the best part for Hjelmeland, seeing students decide to become teachers through the course.

“I love it, it’s absolutely the best part,”Hjelmeland said. “I know how amazing teaching is so seeing up-and-coming teachers have that passion is amazing.”

Vizenor is thrilled when students want to become teachers after taking the class.

“It’s awesome,” Vizenor said. “It makes me smile as I say it right now.”

She estimates about half her students knew they wanted to be teachers before taking the class and it helped reaffirm their decisions.

Hjelmeland comes from family of teachers – her dad was a Jordan English teacher and her mom an elementary teacher at Montgomery-Lonsdale. She wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten.

“When you’re the child of two teachers you kind of know that’s where you’re headed,” she said.

Next year, Hjelmeland wants to tweak the curriculum to get students in the classroom earlier.

Getting down

to business

Student who opt toward business, marketing and economics get real world experience from local businesses. Though they don’t get college credit, the class does count toward their economic and business class requirements.

Each student has a mentor they meet with weekly.

“We tell these business partners – find that thing that’s on your list, like number eight on your to-do list that you just never get to and if you ever get it done, it would just be a bonus,” Vizenor said. “And we said give that to our students and assign it to them.”

Students partnered up with Duane Judge owner of Forged by Fago, a car shop on Irvin Industrial Boulevard, to create a business marketing plan.

“With me trying to run the actual operations and then also fill in some of the gaps in regards to the business plan or marketing plan and implementing those, that can be really challenging,” Judge said. “So having an opportunity like this where we’ve got a lot of help, and fresh ideas is a great mix. Of course, they bring ideas to the table that us old guys don’t think about.”

Students created accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Alignable and Facebook. They also produced how-to style YouTube videos on things like how to change oil or fill washer fluid as a way to build trust with customers.

Trust can sometimes be hard to come by in the auto industry, Judge said.

Chloe Skogland wants to use what she learned to study music business in college. For student Ray Oehlerking, it was a way to get credit for class.

“But I think these are good life skills to not just help other people but to learn how it all works,” Oehlerking said.

Future classes

Next year JHS students will be able to take multicultural education and human relations in schools and health care and medicine. Students need to take introduction to education before the multicultural course.

The school partnered with St. Gertrude’s Health and Rehabilitation Center and St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee to give the students hands-on experiences.

Students will learn about all facets of health care, including legal issues, medical terminology and patient care.

“There are so many jobs within St. Francis and at hospitals that go beyond just doctors and nurses,” he said.

About 37 students registered and the high school is working with Normandale to give them college credit.

In multicultural education and human relations in schools, students learn about issues related to student, family and community diversity in education.

The course will be offered in the spring of 2019 and 2021. Topics include hierarchy of education relating to privilege and access of high quality education.

“And there were other students that thought maybe I want to do this (teaching), and decide that’s not for me,” Vizenor said. “And what a great opportunity to now instead of spending money in college to take these classes or get started on the road and say oh gosh I don’t want to be a teacher, now they’ve already learned this and it helps them focus when they get to college.”