By Colin McKenzie
Many schools nowadays offer both academic and vocational classes to their students. Academic classes teach about general topics, whereas vocational classes teach specific skills based on their specific focus.
Here at NAHS, however, vocational classes that used to be a part of students’ daily schedule are no longer offered. This means that students are learning how to read, write and think, but are not necessarily leaving with any specific vocational skills. This means that students are left to learn these skills elsewhere, or they may never learn them at all. NAHS should bring vocational classes back to the school to ensure well-rounded graduates who are ready for both college and careers.
Vocational classes would bring a whole different field back to NAHS. Student Justin Yin said, “I know a lot of schools still offer classes like this. Some schools even do oil changes for the town’s people if you bring your car in. That’s awesome because it gives the students experience while raising the school money and a reputation for the shop by doing this.” Some students would prefer to have these types of classes to gain experience in a field they might possibly pursue.
If students were to take vocational classes, it would provide a solid baseline for their future if they wanted to pursue that career. Student Dan Adler said, “I’m looking to pursue a career in computer science. It would be awesome if [North Attleboro] offered classes like that so students interested in that field could learn the skills that they will need to help them succeed.”
Senior Jake Fontes agrees, adding, “It would be nice to have some of these classes offered here. It would give students a break from academic classes while also giving them an opportunity to try theses classes.”
Vocational classes not only teach valuable life skills, but they also gives students a chance to try new career paths to see if that is really what they would like to do.
The future is looming over each high school student, but an NAHS education does not necessarily help students who want to go into a more technical field. Having vocational classes could give students the opportunity to explore their future careers while giving them a hands-on learning experience that many desperately need. Although there is no high-stakes test associated with many vocational classes, bringing these classes back to North would help to create well-rounded students who were capable of solving not only academic problems, but real-world problems as well.
The First Launch 