A new program has been set in place for certain Mohonasen students returning to the district in the fall. It’s called Mo-Tech, and is a pilot that will offer vocational-technical-style programs on the Mohonasen campus in a cost-effective way. The goal of the program is to combine career exploration and practical, real-world opportunities with relevant academic work.
Mo-Tech will start by offering a criminal justice program because it is one of the more popular vo-tech programs currently offered.
In early November, we polled an idea, and we found a large number of [students] said they were interested in something related to criminal justice or law enforcement or something along those lines, said Patrick McGrath, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
The program would be open to students entering 11th grade, and components of the course would include introduction to criminal justice, criminal sciences, a career exploration internship program, as well as core classes in English, U.S. history, math, physical education, and up to one other elective credit.
`[The criminal justice program] is a program that we’ve had our students go through for the past few years, and it’s always been something that they’ve been interested in, whether they’re going to the FBI or doing some sort of investigation,` said McGrath.
He said that a criminal justice program has always seemed like a `natural` fit for the district because students will also be able to help around campus, checking parking stickers and directing traffic. Through helping school resource officers, security guards and other people around campus, students will learn more about criminal justice through hands-on experiences.
The introduction to criminal justice course will cover the philosophical and historical background of law enforcement, and explore and analyze the core components of the criminal justice system: police, courts and corrections. In criminal sciences, students will survey a crime lab, analyze the role of a crime lab in criminal investigations and explore the examination of documents and other evidence through the use of forensic techniques.
In the career exploration internship program, students will learn about arrest procedures, including the use of warrants, accident investigation, use of radar, and traffic direction and control. Students will take field trips and will also have opportunities for job shadowing.
`Students involved in the program do internships partly on campus and partly off campus,` said Collins. Internship opportunities include those with Rotterdam Square Mall security, and Ellis Hospital Security.
`We have an awful lot of need for security on our own campus, [too],` said Collins.
Students who participate in the Mo-Tech program will participate in all three classes.
`There are going to be things that students would miss if they weren’t in all three classes. All three of them at different times will interrelate. If [a student] was only in one of the programs, they would miss out on others,` said Chris Ruberti, academic administrator for counseling at the Mohonasen Central School District.
If the program goes well, officials hope to extend Mo-Tech to include other programs including business, preparation for civil service exams, nanotech and green energies, as well as cosmetology, culinary arts and landscaping.
If the criminal justice program becomes established, the district hopes to be able to offer it to students who are not enrolled in the Mo-Tech program in the future.
`There are a ton of possibilities, and this applies for all kids ` this goes across the board. It’s for anyone who’s interested in starting to explore what’s beyond high school when they’re in 10th or 11th grade, and hopefully it will provide some exciting opportunities,` said Ruberti.
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