HCVSD and Centenary University Forge Articulation Agreement

Califon, N.J. – Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s (HCVSD) newest full-time, science-based academy, the Environmental Sustainability & Engineering Academy (ESEA), has entered a new articulation agreement with Centenary University that will enable its high school students to earn up to 22 credits in the sciences and business from the university. The agreement will also provide ESEA students with access to special events and lectures related to their field of study and with opportunities to engage in high-level research projects under Centenary faculty.
The ESEA welcomed its first class in fall 2017 to offer students one-of-a-kind programming that blends elements from a national curriculum for agricultural science, the Advanced Placement curriculum for environmental science, the nationally recognized Project Lead the Way curriculum for engineering, and collegiate curriculum. Students learn in a customized classroom located on the campus of the Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission in Califon, which sits on 75 acres of land that are ideal for outdoor learning.

Jessica Cangelosi-Hade, director of curriculum and academies for HCVSD, first developed a relationship with Centenary faculty members to help shape the ESEA’s curriculum and arrange the lab space before its launch. Their focus over the past year has moved to solidifying details of the articulation agreement.

“It took time to see how our curricula lined up so that we could create an agreement that made sense for both of us,” Cangelosi-Hade said. “In the end, we came up with an agreement that allows our students to earn an astounding 22 credits from Centenary and exposes them to true collegiate experiences. They will get to know professors, they will have opportunities to engage in research, and they will explore career options. All of this will help them enter the next phase of their lives with confidence and clearer pictures of their career goals.”

ESEA sophomores recently attended a panel on green jobs at Centenary, but they will further reap the benefits of the new articulation agreement next year when, as juniors, they begin earning college credits. The agreement allows ESEA students to earn credits through multiple avenues. ESEA instructor Hillary Cussen will technically serve as a Centenary adjunct professor while she teaches Principles of Environmental Science course to students from the comfort of their Califon classroom. Students will also have the option to take up to four online courses with a Centenary professor and take a Scientific Research course at Centenary, which will allow them to conduct high-level research.

“Sustainability curricula are rather rare and fairly new, so we are lucky to have Centenary faculty members from both science and business engaged in this partnership to help our students decide what aspects of this field interest them most and determine what careers align with their interests,” Cangelosi-Hade said.

ESEA students can also earn college credits through HCVSD’s articulation agreement with Rutgers University.

The ESEA is a partnership between HCVSD and Voorhees High School. Full-time students must apply going into freshman year of high school, and admitted students take core academic classes through Voorhees High School.

HCVSD operates two other full-time academies that focus on Biomedical Sciences and Computer Science and Applied Engineering. Applications are now open for all three of HCVSD’s science-based academies. The application system closes at midnight on Saturday, Dec. 15 for any student who wants to enroll as a freshman in 2019. To apply, visit the district website at www.hcvsd.org and click the green “Apply Here” button to launch the online submission tool.
The three academies are among five distinct schools offered by Hunterdon County Vocational School District to serve high school and adult students. The largest is Hunterdon County Polytech Career and Technical School, the district’s shared-time high school that prepares students for a seamless transition to college and career paths. HCVSD also operates an Adult and Continuing Education school. Learn more at www.hcvsd.org.

All pupils will be given equal opportunity for enrollment in programs operated by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender, religion, disability, or socioeconomic status (34 C.F.R. Part 100, Appendix B, Section IV-A). No qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives federal financial assistance, et seq (34 C.F.R. Part 104.4(a)(b).