Spotlight on Olympic High School

North Carolina Legislators Get To Know This National Exemplar

How can cities and communities take steps to ensure that the future of their workforce is skilled, diverse, and sustainable? They can begin to get to know these up-and-coming leaders – while they are still in high school.

North Carolina legislators did just this and recently visited Olympic High School – a national exemplar in education – and had the opportunity to tour classrooms, CTE facilities, and their state-of-the-art Bosch Rexroth Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center. During the tour, they received a deeper dive into the academies’ best practices for preparing the next generation of innovators and had the chance to interact with advisory board members, who assist the academy by providing connections to local industries.

Olympic High School is only the third high school in the nation to be home to all five of NAF’s career pathways that have achieved Katherine Blasik Distinguished academies, NAF’s highest level of academy quality. Their commitment serves as a reminder that with hard work and tenacity, together we can deliver the highest level of preparatory experiences to benefit students.

“NAF is thrilled to have partnered with Olympic High School to host a legislative tour for our honored guests,” said Tiffany Barfield, NAF’s Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy. “We appreciate the chance to spotlight our NAF students and how local business and community organizations are leaning in to support the talent pipeline in the ever-evolving city of Charlotte.”  

Olympic High School utilizes NAF’s educational design to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue successful pathways. The day also featured the voices of academy students, who spoke about their work-based learning, internship, and mentoring experiences and what they have gained from these activities. Legislators had the chance to share their own career journeys and the importance of college and career preparation to North Carolina’s future workforce.

“As North Carolina and America seek to Reimagine Education so it becomes better aligned with meeting the needs of a modern society, we are honored that this group of influential political and community leaders chose to hear directly from Olympic students, alumni, and business leaders about our proven best practices involving Career AND College Readiness,” said Principal Casey Jones, Olympic High School.

Opportunities like this truly bring the work to life and showcase the key relationships that move the needle for students. When young people can share their passions, accomplishments, and what they’ve learned with those who can understand their value-add and help advocate for expanded efforts and resources, it is a win-win.

It remains imperative for education, business, and policy leaders to work together to prepare and elevate tomorrow’s leaders, today.