Abrookin Vo-Tech Center
Don Prozik, Principal
99 Kent Street, Albany, NY 12206
(click here for directions)
Ph: (518) 462-7278
Fax: (518) 462-7174
e-mail: lhuber@albany.k12.ny.us
Abrookin Career
Academy
In the fall of 2002-03, Albany students
were introduced to a new option for their high school
years--the Abrookin Career Academy, which blends
traditional academic courses with career and technical education.
This
four-year, comprehensive school, located at the Abrookin
Vo-Tech Center, is designed to change the blue-collar
image of vocational education and to give students a new
way of meeting New York State's high academic standards.
Fifty
incoming ninth graders were chosen to participate in the
academy's first year, and in the years that followed, a
new group of students joined the program. Ultimately,
the academy will operate as one of the "houses" of the
high school, as planned under the district's facilities
project.
The Career Academy is designed for
students at all levels, from those who are college-bound
to those who are at risk of dropping out. Career
education has been tried in many high schools across the
country. However, most district's require students to
focus on one particular vocation. Albany's program is
different, in that it allows students the flexibility of
trying various courses, from culinary arts to computer
repair, without having to declare a "major". All the
while, students study English, math, science, social
studies, etc., in what is known as "applied academics".
This is intended to help students better see the
relevance of what they are learning in school.
The Career Academy includes:
Teacher
mentoring. Each teacher is matched with six to eight
students and meets with those students for 30 to 40
minutes three times a week to help them with both
social and academic issues.
Guidance
counseling. A full-time counselor provides students
with more intensive guidance than is typical at the
high-school level.
Senior
internship. During senior year, students spend a
large part of the day in business or other work
environments.
For more
information about the program, contact the Career
Academy at 462-7278.
