EXCEL January 2019 e-News

Advisory Board Meeting Scheduled for February 4

All EXCEL Advisory Boards are scheduled to meet February 4, 2019, at Metropolitan Career Tech Activity Center at 4:30-5:30 p.m. Invitees will be receiving an email invitation. EXCEL will share updates on activities, program evaluation, and future events. Each strand will meet with individual Advisory Boards to share info, needed support, and solicit feedback.

Student Asserts EXCEL Her Best Decision in High School

Mariah Spellman, senior EXCEL Medical Associate from J.A. Fair High School, says, "EXCEL [is] the best decision I've made while being in high school."

By Mariah Spellman

Coming to the Little Rock School District from Hope, AR, has been an eye-opening experience. However, gaining knowledge that they offered classes to help students decide how to explore career interests really caught my attention. As a junior going into my senior year, I only needed four more classes. My counselor told me about the EXCEL program. Agreeing to go into the program was the best decision I've made while being in high school. This program helps you decide if the medical field is for you or what you want to do in the medical field. In class, we learn medical terminology in many ways, from doing projects that are presented in front of panels to doing hands-on activities. Not only do we learn medical terms, we learn how to be professional in that field. I started EXCEL not knowing what to do in an interview, but now I have confidence that I will get the job in any future interviews. In February, we actually get to go into the field to intern and get the feel of real work in the medical field. So far, EXCEL has been a great experience. I wish I had known about it last year. I'm so excited to see what other experiences and opportunities I'll encounter in the program.

The LRSD EXCEL Medical students are the first high school students to attend the UAMS Translational Research Institute Community Scientist Academy, which helps demystify UAMS research for local citizens and better prepares them for important volunteer research roles.

EXCEL Partners with UAMS to Offer Community Science Academy

EXCEL Medical has partnered with UAMS to offer EXCEL medical associates a six-week Community Science Academy. Associates will explore how researchers decide what health issues to study and how they engage in the research process. Through round table discussions with UAMS researchers and community members and interactive sessions, associates will learn first-hand the benefits of individual and community organizations' involvement in research and learn ways they can volunteer to help with research, such as serving on community advisory boards and community review boards for individual studies, serving as a community grant reviewer, and volunteering as a research participant. At the completion of the program, UAMS will present students with case studies for students to engage in the research cycle as a semester project.

EXCEL Construction students practice ladder safety techniques. In projects, students applied what they learned in OSHA training that led fourteen students to obtain their OSHA-10 certification.

Construction Students Earn OSHA-10 Certification

Fourteen students earned their OSHA-10 certification in the Fall semester. Part of the Department of Labor, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces standards by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. Construction job sites demand a knowledge of safe working procedures and practices as do industrial workplace settings. Instructor Richard Myrick says the certification is recognized nationally and will give students a competitive edge. Donations from EXCEL community partners helped to fund students' certification, which requires students to pass the OSHA-10 certification exam.

Technology Associates toured MISO Energy, learning about types of energy, related careers, and ethical considerations.

A Day in the World of an Energy Professional

MISO is a not-for-profit member-based organization that ensures reliable, least-cost delivery of electricity across all or parts of 15 U.S. states and one Canadian province. It manages approximately 65,000 miles of high-voltage transmission and 200,000 megawatts of power-generating resources across its footprint. Little Rock is home to one of three control centers for system operations. The others are located in Carmel, Indiana, and Eagan, Minnesota.

Last month, Technology Solutions associates toured MISO Energy, Inc. Associates learned about the types of energy, related careers, and ethical considerations. They were introduced to the importance of situational awareness-- responding to uncertain events with appropriate actions. The highlight of the tour was observing technicians monitor the power grid in the control room. Associate Jason Do summarized the field trip saying, “I learned about the system of energy distribution and outages. I think this field trip was meaningful because it explored a new area of technology and I gained another career option.”

Teacher Cadets design and teach lessons unpacking the ISTE Standards for Educators in preparation for their internship.

Teacher Cadets Move from Observing to Interning

In the Fall semester, Teacher Cadets explored careers in education from teaching to curriculum to administration. They shadowed teachers in K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 and observed teachers in special areas, such as GT, ESL, and CTE. Through guest speakers and field trips, they explored multiple career options within the field of education. In the second semester, cadets are now ready to work alongside a teacher in their area of choice in an extended internship. During the internship, cadets with collaborate with internship supervisor to plan and teach lessons.

EXCEL student ambassadors spend their lunch talking to students at Central High School, sharing their experiences in EXCEL and the opportunities the program provides students.

EXCEL Student Ambassadors Recruiting Peers

As students in Little Rock School District prepare to select courses for next school year, EXCEL students are working to inform their peers about the EXCEL program and the opportunities it offers. In addition to student ambassadors talking to students at each high school during lunch, EXCEL will launch a video in February and a social media blitz aimed at informing students, parents, and community partners about the EXCEL program. Students can register now for EXCEL by completing the online application (www.lrsdexcel.org) and talking to their counselor to select EXCEL.