The Moorhead High School Career Academy finished the 2022-23 school year strong, hosting fantastic events and giving MHS students the opportunity to network and get important hands-on experience. The vision of MHSCA is to help students discover passions and explore career options to graduate choice ready. In the process, the Career Academy will help meet regional workforce needs through community and business partnerships. Check out a few of the many highlights from this Spring.
1. Career Fairs
MHSCA hosted multiple career fairs this spring for students to explore careers and meet potential future employers. The first of these events featured 33 different corporate partners; these corporate partners signed up so quickly that the event was fully booked within a week. The second event featured Sanford Health and allowed students to explore the many different career options available to them with one of the region’s largest employers.
2. Automotive Program Repairs Fix It Forward’s 400th Vehicle
The first year of the MHSCA automotive program’s partnership with Fix It Forward hit a crescendo in May when students completed repairs on the sedan that became the 400th vehicle donated by the community non-profit organization. Fix It Forward held a ceremony at MHSCA to celebrate this milestone that included the students who helped work on the car. The quarterly publication Teaching Today MN featured this story in their Summer 2023 edition.
3. Team 4360 Spudnik Receives Multiple Grants
MHS’ FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 4360 “Spudnik” received a pair of grants in early 2023. At the Great Northern Regional FRC event in March, the Gene Haas Foundation presented Spudnik and MHSCA with a check for $8,000 for manufacturing scholarships—this was in addition to the $2,500 grant that the foundation gave to Spudnik in December. In May, Doosan Bobcat awarded a $5,000 grant to Spudnik as well.
4. Machining Lab Completes First Year of Classes
Brand new for the 2022-23 school year, the MHSCA machining lab completed its first year of classes in May. 32 students participated in machining classes in this lab over the course of the year. The machining lab provides students with the opportunity to use state-of-the art equipment for unparalleled hands-on experience.
5. Jumpstart Provides Hands-on Experience for Students
While most of the district’s Jumpstart pre-school classes operate out of Probstfield Center for Education, one class is held at MHSCA. This allows high school students the opportunity to get hands-on experience working with small children. An MHS art class provided a great example of this partnership in Spring 2023, joining with the Jumpstart kids to help them learn to create art. This collaboration culminated in the high schooler students helping the Jumpstart students create Mother’s Day cards in May.
6. ALC Students Get Virtual Reality Career Tours
When students are able to experience new places—buildings, organizations, colleges, etc—it helps expand their base of knowledge. Unfortunately, tours can be tricky to schedule, especially for high school students. This year, the Alternative Learning Center partnered with BeMoreColorful, a Fargo-based virtual reality company, to bring tours to Moorhead students. This partnership provided ALC students with 12 Virtual Reality goggles used to tour job sites and area businesses to learn about specific careers without ever leaving MHSCA. Using these headsets to show students new environments is a great way to engage students and teach with technology that is becoming more prevalent throughout the workforce.
7. MHSCA Hosts UND SHaPE for Med Student Simulations
On May 16, MHSCA hosted the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine and Health Science for a day of medical simulations as a part of UND’s Supplemental History and Physical Enhancement (SHaPE) program. Throughout the day, 34 third-year medical students participated in clinical simulations and a birthing simulation to help improve their Clinical Skills Assessment scores. Learn more about UND’s innovative SHaPE program.
