Christmas will arrive early for 33 students at Hartford’s Pathways Academy of Technology and Design and nine other schools nationwide.
On Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 11:00 a.m., the students will unpack a free shipment of high-end ThinkPad laptop computers and Android model YOGA tablets and demonstrate a new curriculum for developing mobile applications.
The curriculum was designed by Lenovo, a multi-billion technology-manufacturing firm and the world’s second largest distributor of personal computers, in collaboration with the National Academy Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT created the software program for building the apps.
Pathways, which was named the best magnet high school in the nation in 2014 by Magnet Schools of America, is located at 2 Pent Road on the campus of Goodwin College in East Hartford. The demonstration will take place at the school in Room 300.
The overall aim of the curriculum is to encourage greater student interest in science, technology, engineering and math, and it includes lessons in business management, entrepreneurship, product development and marketing.
“This is the type of real world experience that we want to cultivate and expand in all of our schools,” said Hartford Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez. “It offers students a direct correlation between their studies and the world of work.”
NAF, which chose the schools that are employing the new curriculum, is a network of 565 career-themed academies that opens doors to underserved high school students by creating courses and learning environments that connect directly to the business world and serve as a route to college. NAF also helps establish advisory boards of business leaders and educators for each academy and secures internship and mentoring opportunities for academy students. More than 90 percent of NAF students graduate high school and four out of five of them go on to college.
As an additional incentive to apply themselves to the course work, the students in each of the ten schools selected for the Lenovo Scholar Network will compete with each other to create the best all around mobile app and be recognized at NAF’s annual conference in the summer of 2015.
“Our collaboration with companies like Lenovo supports our goal of graduating more students college and career ready, particularly in the growing STEM industries,” said J.D. Hoye, president of NAF. “The Lenovo Scholar Network is a prime example of how businesses and education can work together to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s fast-paced world.”
The Pathways Academy of Technology and Design specializes in preparing students for career opportunities in programming database design, digital video production, networking and web design. The mobile app class calls for the students to break up into teams, each of which must develop an idea for a new app and a business plan. The 33 students, who will be taking the class, are also expected to do all of the coding work that will bring the apps to life.
“Our students have already completed several app prototypes as part of their course work that they can run on the new hardware,” said Pathways Teacher Raul Vargas, who teaches the mobile app course. “The exposure provided by the Lenovo Scholar Network plays a critical role in building their proficiency and confidence as they look to transition into college or the professional world.”
“We are thankful to have great teachers, such as Mr. Vargas, who finds these great opportunities and stretches our students,” added Pathways Principal David Goldblum.
Pathways is one of five NAF academies in the Hartford Public Schools system. The others are: The Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, the Academy of Nursing and Health Sciences, High School Inc. and the Hartford Culinary Arts Academy.
The other nine schools in the Lenovo Scholar Network are: Carencro High School Academy of Information Technology, Lafayette, LA; Cimarron-Memorial High School Academy of Information Technology, Las Vegas, NV; Friendship Collegiate Academy of Information Technology, Washington, DC; Hialeah Gardens Senior High School Academy of Information Technology, Hialeah, FL; Orosi High School Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, Orosi, CA; Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, Charlotte, NC; Springbrook High School Academy of Information Technology, Silver Spring, MD; Timber Creek High School Academy of Information Technology, Orlando, FL; Washington High School of Information Technology, Milwaukee, WI.