Pinpointing career talent a continuing HVA goal
During a light moment Friday, July 20, Sallee Reynolds, Hardin Valley Academy principal, with David Combs, assistant principal, in the school’s atrium below the HVA crest.
“Are we making sure that our kids have equitable access to either our AP curriculum … college ready, or can we get them through some of the CTE courses and get them up to where they can take the test for industry certification?” Reynolds said. “If they can get industry certification, then they are career-ready.”
As for success in such recognition, “We had 10 kids last year that sat for industry certification to be EKG technicians, and we have the first group of kids in the county to take that test and all 10 passed,” Reynolds said. “We have a kid right now who just graduated last year who’s got a job at one of the area hospitals as an EKG technician in the emergency room.
“How wonderful,” she added. “This kid is going on to college to pursue a medical career, but right out of college he has industry certification and he’s already working in the field.”
While Reynolds said the maximum number of students in most non career-technical education classes is 35 — 22 maximum for CTE classes — per state requirements, exceptions include music. To increase size beyond 35 or 22 requires obtaining a state waiver. The minimum number required for a course depends on that given course, Reynolds added.
However, “If there’s a course that we put out there and only six kids sign up, we’re not going to offer it,” she said, adding as a general rule, “I would like to have (at least) 25.
“With that said, our AP world language courses are much smaller.”
Moreover, “If I said, ‘there are only 10 kids who are going to take AP French this year, we need to get rid of it,’ “I’m hurting kids” who really need that course, Reynolds said.
“You’ve got to do what’s best for kids,” she added.
As for spacing out classes to accommodate almost 2,100 students during fall semester, “We have 18 7 a.m. classes this fall, probably 550 kids … 17 in the spring,” Reynolds said. “Some of them are choosing to take five classes in the fall, but others are going to choose to end their day at 2 o’clock.”
While adding two new classroom teaching positions, eight new teachers join Reynolds and staff — adding up to roughly 130 total — for 2018-19.
Adding administrators, counselors, librarians, secretaries, cafeteria staff, custodians and interns, “We’re coming up on 180,” Reynolds said.
