Education Pathway students are (front row from left) Aaliyah Pickering, Emily Witte and Claire Olalde and in back, Marquelle King, Colson Welgat, Julia Pendergrass, Trivian Massens, and Victor Balka. [Photos by Heather Olalde]

Kewanee High School is diving headlong into an initiative from the Illinois State Board of Education to bring exciting new opportunities to local students.

The College and Career Pathways Endorsement (CCPE) program encourages students to focus their educational pursuits on future career goals.

By completing certain requirements in high school, students will graduate with a special endorsement on their diplomas, essentially telling future employers, colleges, and scholarship selection committees that these students have gone above and beyond to gain valuable experience in a given industry.

Kewanee Supt. Rebecca Baney said, “We are thrilled to provide students a path to find passion and purpose in their education. Opportunities like these will empower our students to discover their future ambitions with clear and attainable steps in place to help them accomplish their goals. The students in our CCPE program are excited about school and driven to succeed.”

The requirements to earn an endorsement before graduation are grouped in several categories.

First, students must complete a personal portfolio, reflecting on individual career goals and documenting financial literacy and planning. This portfolio is where students gather evidence that all the components of the endorsement have been completed successfully. Portfolio progress will be monitored closely by the site coordinator.

Much of the portfolio completion focuses on what students have learned in a classroom setting. Students must demonstrate academic readiness in English/Language Arts as well as math, which is tracked through a combination of standardized test scores and grades in upper-level coursework.

Students earning an endorsement must also complete relevant high school-level coursework and a minimum of six credit hours of dual credit/college coursework focused specifically on the endorsement industry.

The remainder of the portfolio requires extensive hands-on career experiences. Students must demonstrate exploration of several career options, culminating in at least one intensive experience in their chosen field, which will often take the form of job shadowing.

This opportunity allows students a chance to ensure their specific career goal is truly what they want to do.

Students must also complete a minimum of 60 hours in the field, working side by side with industry professionals.

“We are thrilled to provide students a path to find passion and purpose in their education. Opportunities like these will empower our students to discover their future ambitions with clear and attainable steps in place to help them accomplish their goals.

Kewanee Supt. Rebecca Baney

One last component of the portfolio is the completion of two team-based challenges, where students work in teams to solve real-world problems in the industry. Oftentimes local industry professionals will be involved in the completion and evaluation of this process.

Students who successfully complete an endorsement portfolio can expect to see many benefits as they leave high school. Besides the obvious benefits of the experience and education in the field, students have a unique opportunity to “try on” the career before committing finances or time to a college major. Students can also expect to see advantages in college admissions, scholarships, and employability with an endorsement.

Most community colleges and four-year institutions offer tuition waivers for students with an endorsement, and many scholarships automatically advance endorsement students to the final round of the selection process.

In trades-centered fields, employers will know endorsement students have excelled and gained extra experiences in high school, setting these students apart from the average.

The most important advantage to seeking an endorsement, however, is not financial. Students with a clear path in mind are much more likely to see value in their education. Students who are passionate about what they are studying at school have better attendance, better grades, and overall better experiences in high school.

Welding Pathway student Jaxon Janey said, “I am excited to work with our new dual credit welding teacher, Mr. Wheelhouse, to learn skills I can apply to my future career. I can’t wait to get started.”

In order to receive ISBE approval of any pathway, school administration must first ensure systems are in place for each pathway to reach completion, including appropriate coursework, qualified personnel, and valuable industry partners in the community.

This school year, KHS has implemented an education pathway for future teachers as part of their “Grow Your Own Teacher” program. By creating a clear path for future educators, the Kewanee district hopes to encourage students to come back home after college and become teachers in their own community.

While looking for a teacher credentialed to run dual credit education courses, new KHS principal Amanda Tidwell stepped up to the plate, offering to teach the classes herself.

“I’m going to be very busy,” she said, “but I want the staff to know I will never ask them to do work I wouldn’t do myself. Besides, I love this curriculum. This is what teaching is all about,” said the KHS principal.

Her enthusiasm is contagious, and the students enrolled in the education pathway are eager to spend time working in area classrooms.

Welding Pathway instructor Dustin Wheelhouse and students Gabriel Dominguez, Ricky Lopez, Jaxon Janey and Camden Murray (missing from the photo was Kingston Peterson).

KHS is also incorporating a welding pathway program, preparing students to leave high school ready to work in local industries. Requirements for this pathway have students graduating well on their way to welding certification.

Moving forward, KHS plans to implement many more pathway opportunities, starting in the agriculture industry.

KHS Ag teacher Kindra Callahan is on board.

“My hope is to inspire and prepare students for career success in the agricultural industry. Offering industry endorsement opportunities to Kewanee High School students is a chance for me as an educator to facilitate and foster a student-centered agricultural educational experience focused on inquiry based learning,” she said.

KHS also aims to eventually develop pathways in computer science and the culinary industry.

Overall, the CCPE initiative will provide students a clear path toward adult success and help cultivate high school students who are passionate about where education can take them.