Students can get a head start toward a successful life through the variety of academies and magnet programs offered in Alachua County schools. Greater Gainesville is home to many acclaimed primary and secondary schools that help prepare students not just for college, but for the workforce. Alachua County offers magnet programs for all students, with many options to choose from, according to Jackie Johnson, public information officer for Alachua County Public Schools.
“We have programs that cater to a wide range of student interests, from elementary all the way up to high school,” Johnson said. “Some of them are academic magnets, some of them are career-tech magnets, but they all have been very successful in preparing students for further education and for careers, and they certainly provide families with a lot of options, like choices in education.”
There are certain requirements students need to meet before they are being considered for a magnet program. The school district website lists the requirements and also provides videos of virtual open houses, through which families and students can learn more about each program.Here is a guide to some of the magnet and academy programs throughout Alachua County Public Schools.
Stephen Foster Elementary School
Stephen Foster Elementary School offers a STEM Magnet program created for students who shine academically that incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in a real-life setting. Students have the option to participate in various clubs built on students’ evolving needs and interests.
Rawlings Elementary School
Rawlings Elementary School’s Center of Fine Arts program improves students’ academic and artistic achievement through both performing and visual art experiences. Art is included in all curricular areas. Students in first through fifth grades have a core curriculum of fine arts that includes instrumental music, dance, vocal performance, theatrical studies and visual arts. Fourth- and fifth-grade students are in a focus group for particular parts of visual performance art. Students are required to complete their fine arts core curriculum to better allow them to discover areas of interest to explore further in secondary fine arts education.
Howard Bishop Middle School
Students at Howard Bishop Middle School can choose the Academy of Technology and Advanced Studies. Students have the chance to develop technologically, academically and socially with the support from staff, family and the community. It provides a challenging, yet motivating environment that helps students accomplish exceptional academic achievement.
Westwood Middle School
Although Westwood Middle School is not part of the district magnet program, it is an A-rated school and is a Cambridge International Center. Westwood students strive for excellence in academics, athletics, extra-curricular clubs and community service. The school offers the Cambridge program, which is the Cambridge Secondary 1 Curriculum. Students ages 11 through 14 have a variety of international learning standards, which are confined in the Secondary 1 Curriculum.
The school’s objective is for students to increase their interest and ability to be independent. They are challenged to think critically in a setting that ensures confidence to communicate ideas orally and through writing while they solve problems and explore literary and historical texts. Students in the Cambridge program have shown success in pursuing advanced high school courses, such as Advanced Placement courses, International General Certificate of Secondary Education courses and advanced high school diplomas, such as the International Baccalaureate diploma and the Advanced International Certificate of Education Diploma.
Buchholz High School
Students can learn about the 14 career academies in the school district at the Career Academy Forum in the Buchholz High School Auditorium. The magnet programs cover anything from gaming to entrepreneurship to healthcare and offer students real-life experiences. At Buchholz, students are encouraged to join the Academy of Entrepreneurship, which is a four-year program that focuses on marketing, hospitality, business management and entrepreneurship while receiving a standard high school education. Students will develop creative skills in fields such as advertising, international business, travel and tourism, fashion merchandising or sports and entertainment marketing.
Students also have the opportunity to compete in internships, workshops and business plan competitions. The Entrepreneurial Academy is a member of the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education and is acknowledged as a nationwide model for similar programs in other schools. The academy values students who think independently and are innovative thinkers, which is a strong component of success in the business world. It is designed to prepare students to enter the real world confident, competent and ready to begin college and a career.
Loften High School
Students at Loften High School have the option to choose from five magnet programs at the Professional Academies Magnet, which include Gaming and Mobile Apps, Graphic Art and Design, Robotic and Engineering, Fire and Emergency and Automotive Technology.“We are a traditional high school with a small, family atmosphere,” said Cheryl S. Allen, assistant principal of the Professional Academies Magnet.
“Through our five separate academies, students gain hands-on experience, and our graduates have a wealth of knowledge and are ready for post-secondary education.” Loften’s Academy for Gaming and Mobile Apps is a good starting point for students interested in working in the growing computer and gaming industry.
The program sets students up for success after high school, arming them with the problem-solving skills and knowledge necessary for continuing education or a career as a programmer, developer or game designer. It also prepares them for the hiring process in the gaming and mobile fields. The Gaming and Mobile App program offers the same software tools as in a professional setting, including art classes and technology-intensive classes. Students can take courses in AP Computer Science with the benefits of receiving academic college credit and a taste of their desired career field.Students are required to meet certain criteria to be accepted for each selected magnet program. This includes attendance, academic and disciplinary requirements. Students complete short essays for each program they choose.
Loften students interested in a healthcare and public safety career can join the Academy of Fire and Emergency Medical Sciences. Students will learn about health foundations, anatomy, physiology, firefighting classes and emergency medical response. They can dual enroll in the Emergency Medical Technician program at Santa Fe College during the last year of high school. By the time they complete the program, students can obtain the Florida State Fire Fighter I certificate or take a qualifying course for state certification.
Gainesville High School
Gainesville High School’s Academy of Health Professions includes an academic curriculum and experience in a clinical setting. This program works in cooperation with Santa Fe College for dental aide, emergency medical services, nursing, physical therapy aide, EKG technician and certified pharmacy technician and is managed by community healthcare providers. Students are prepared for entry-level jobs in the clinical field.
“Career and technical magnet programs, such as the AHP program, are invaluable for students that will pursue a career in healthcare,” said Janine Plavac, director of the Academy of Health Professions. “The reason is that they lay the foundation for the students to get a leg up on others that are applying to post-graduate programs because the students come out of high school with an industry certification in their chosen senior clinical field.”
Students in the program benefit by earning industry certifications and real-life experiences caring for others.
“It also sets them up for immediate employment because as they are working at their clinical settings, such as North Florida Regional Medical Center, UF Health and Walgreen’s pharmacy, they are making contacts, and their supervisors are seeing their skillset,” Plavac said.
Eastside High School
Eastside High School students can choose the Institute of Culinary Arts or the IB Program.The Alachua County School Board declared the Institute of Culinary Arts is a school-to-career program that prepares students for a promising career in the fast-growing hospitality industry. This magnet program is classified in the Elite 50 list, which values high schools combined with tech centers that highlight the fields of culinary arts and hospitality management. The Eastside Institute of Culinary Arts is certified by the American Culinary Federation, which is the fourth high school of its kind in Florida.
The Florida Scholarship Program is available to students completing three credits or more. They can join organizations such as the Culinary Club, which advances critical and creative thinking and skills needed for culinary competitions. The club also offers opportunities to cater in the community, attend field trips and participate in the Seafood Spectacular and Rotary Clubs Wild Game Feast. Extracurricular clubs prepare students for leadership roles, social interactions and provide opportunities such as the Prostart National Competitions, where students can compete to win scholarships.
Students take part in sponsored events by American Culinary Federation and Skills USA and have won first place at regional and state competitions and fifth place nationwide. Students are also able to participate in food competitions for NASA to design their next meals in space. Recently, students who engaged in the NASA competition scored eighth place and each won $12,000 in scholarships.Institute of Culinary Arts alumni Noam Bilitzer, who graduated in 2011, won the 2018 Food Network’s “Chopped” competition and has been working as an executive chef at the restaurant Red Hog Butcher in the Louisville Metropolitan Area.
The IB Program at Eastside focuses on science and liberal arts college prep curriculum and is one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind –– so much so, that other schools in Florida and across the country have adapted its model. The program includes college credit courses in English, French or Spanish, social studies, experimental sciences, mathematics and an elective, with options in psychology, music performance, theater arts, studio art or physics.
Outside the classroom, students are required to document Creative/Active/Service experiences for 18 months. They must also take a theory of knowledge course and complete independent research. Eastside IB alumni Matthew Rogers took his future career first to Apple and was responsible for creating iPods and iPhones and eventually launched his own company, Nest.
Santa Fe High School
Santa Fe High School offers a Biotechnology Education program for students who are interested in a tech career. They can receive education credit for a path to either the University of Florida or Santa Fe College. The program focuses on the technological application of organisms, as well as DNA, cells and proteins to alter new procedures.It is projected that employment in biotechnology is growing by 10% from 2016 to 2026.
The Biotechnology Program’s three main areas of focus –– technology, agriculture and medicine –– are taught in a fun environment. Just three miles away in Progress Park, Alachua, lies the mecca of biotechnology, with more than 30 companies that employ an estimated 1,100 people or more with a background in biotechnology. This connection can provide job opportunities and internships to graduates.
“The students know that they have the knowledge base to be successful going forward in college, but most importantly, it shows the academic institution that they are applying to that they also have the foundation and skills necessary to be successful,” Plavac said. “These are the same milestones that are needed for entry into and success in postsecondary workforce education or directly into a job that offers gainful employment and career advancement.”