Parents, students invited to HCVSD academy info sessions

Califon, N.J. – Two upcoming info sessions will introduce students and parents to the concentrated, career-focused style of instruction that is the hallmark of Hunterdon County Vocational School District (HCVSD) academies. The events on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and Thursday, Oct. 18, both 6-8 p.m., will detail the curriculum, college credit and internship opportunities and admission procedures for academies focused on sustainability and engineering, biomedical science and computer science.

Each of the two sessions will include information on all three academies. Both sessions take place at the Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission (HCESC), 37 Hoffmans Crossing Road in Califon. Advance registration is not required but encouraged by going to the news and announcement section of www.hcvsd.org and following the link to the registration page.

“With application deadlines approaching on Dec. 15 for entry into one of our three academies for the 2019-2020 academic year, we encourage current eighth-grade students with an interest in the sciences to attend one of these info sessions,” said Tanya Nalesnik, assistant business administrator for HCVSD. “We are looking for students with passion and drive to challenge themselves academically in preparation for bright, successful futures.”

HCVSD academies run out of custom-designed classroom spaces to guarantee a comprehensive, highly focused program with specific ties to college and career. The district’s full-time academies include:

The Environmental Sustainability & Engineering Academy is located on the 47-acre property of the HCESC. Students benefit from a customized classroom and endless opportunities for outdoor learning with open land, woods and a 2.5-acre pond literally right outside of their door. The program blends the best elements from Centenary University course work, the Advanced Placement curriculum for environmental science and the nationally recognized Project Lead The Way curriculum for engineering.

The Biomedical Sciences Academy is taught in a newly constructed classroom with separate lab and meeting space at North Hunterdon High School. The program is designed for students with an aptitude for this high-growth career field. It combines the strength of the Project Lead The Way curriculum with rigorous course work from Rutgers School of Health Professions. Its hands-on experiences include capstone projects that encourage students to explore biomedical innovations and projects that use the program’s prized 6-foot Anatomage Table.

The Computer Science & Applied Engineering Academy is taught at Voorhees High School in a brand-new space designed to foster creativity and collaboration and resemble the work environments of today’s tech leaders like Google. This program prepares students to excel in this high-demand field. Beyond its use of the Project Lead The Way curriculum, this academy prepares students for college or workforce entry through hands-on instruction, including a capstone project. Like other academies, it forges real-world connections with universities, such as Fairleigh Dickinson University, and other institutions.

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).