In the past year, Bearden High School academy students have gotten the opportunity to go on field trips to see what a job in their pathway is really like.
Academy coach Mrs. Kelley Darnell has planned and attended all of the field trips so far; these experiences involve experiential learning activities in their field from shadowing industry professionals to hands-on activities.
Mrs. Darnell and other Bearden High administrators are working to ensure that every pathway gets the opportunity to go on a trip where they have the opportunity to see career professionals in their desired field. Multiple trips have already taken place this year.
Medical students and sports and human performance students visited Lincoln Memorial University to tour, practice checking blood pressure, and make simple diagnoses.
Humanities pathway students went to UTK’s Howard Baker Center for Public Policy to hear a nationally renowned speaker discuss democracy and civil discourse.
Sports and human performance students went to Triple F Elite Sports Training to talk to coaches and do other hands-on activities.
Additionally, computer science and cybersecurity students went to Oak Ridge National Lab to see the “supercomputer” – the most powerful computer in the world.
Other trips include Regions Bank (banking and finance students), Axle Logistics (supply chain management), the Tennessee Titans’ facility (business, leadership, and communications students), and various military bases (ROTC students).
“We’ve taken a lot of cool trips,” Mrs. Darnell said. “As the academy coach, my favorite days are taking students on field trips and watching them experience firsthand people in their jobs.”
Mrs. Darnell believes these field trips are essential in helping students discover potential careers. She says students enjoyed getting to experience different workplaces.
“At Axle (Logistics), we went into the office,” she said. “They got to job shadow with one person for like 30 minutes and so they got to see firsthand exactly what this person does at work.”
The professional field trips are also essential for students to determine their fit for a career, and vice versa.
“It gives them a chance to explore,” she said. “It gives them a chance to see, ‘Hey, this is really cool. I like this.’ Or, ‘Maybe I’m interested in this, but I’m not sure.’”
Mrs. Darnell is excited for the future of academy pathway field trips and is anticipating the trips happening later this year.
Rehab careers pathway students will be going to Tennessee Orthopedic Clinics to tour the surgery center; maintenance and light repair students are going to Stowers Cat; performing arts students are going to Clarence Brown Theater to tour; and dietetics and nutrition students will be touring the UTK agriculture campus.