Oak Park students get a head start in choosing their careers

Known for its reputation of academically preparing students for college, Oak Park High School is now adding another step to help teens plan for the future.

The new majors program, to take effect in the fall, will allow students to pursue an interest in a specific career through job shadows, internships and structured coursework. The goal is to help students figure out what profession they might be interested in before they get to college.

"I see the program as a powerful way to give the curriculum in our courses real meaning and to link what our students do at school to the real world," Principal Lynn McCormack said.

She credited Assistant Principal Jerry Block for bringing the idea for the program, which was developed by the high school faculty and staff. The majors program is available to all students from incoming freshmen to next year's juniors. Current juniors are not eligible because they don't have enough time left at the high school, Block said.

Students will have a choice of the following four majors: multimedia and communications; health science and medical technology; legal and government services; and arts and entertainment. Block hopes to add additional majors in the future.

All of the subjects are aligned with the University of California and California State University entrance requirements.

"It is our firm belief that all students should have the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy learning and to be prepared for what awaits them after high school," Block said.

Those who choose a major will follow a specific course of study and meet certain requirements in order to graduate high school. All majors will require a 75-hour internship in a related field, 25 hours of community service, job shadows, participation in a related on-campus club for at least two years and the maintenance of a digital journal/portfolio that documents their work. Students will complete a senior project that reflects their course of study.

"For example, a student who majors in law and government will have taken a mock trial class. Additionally, he may have chosen to intern in a law office. An example of a senior project may be to create a video of a show like "Boston Legal" that highlights the skills needed to prepare for a trial and then to actually try it," Block said.

Course requirements for a multimedia/communications major include journalism as well as the choice from among such classes as creative writing, digital communication, stagecraft and video production. Club choices range from art or film appreciation to choir or debate.

The health science and medical technology major would be required to take athletic training and choose from physics, environmental science, psychology and sociology. Clubs could include Students for a Cure, global warming, chemistry or Heal the Bay.

In the legal and government services focus the requirements would include a mock trial class as well as a choice of speech, statistics and accounting. Clubs include Model UN, Key Club, Peer Counseling and South Asian Club.

The arts and entertainment major could choose video production, acting, band, speech, dance, computer animation or graphics, or drawing and painting. Club choices could include music philanthropy, film appreciation, literature or stage crew.

Students who complete the majors program will earn a corresponding seal on their diplomas as well as a colored tassel designating their field of study.

Traci Woo, whose son Matthew will be an Oak Park High freshman next year, is supportive of the program.

"It's a great opportunity for kids to get exposed to a particular field that might be interesting to them and get some practical experience. It will help them make a decision about college and where they might want to go," Woo said.

The program may also help teens narrow their choices through experience, Block said.

"Students may think that they have a career goal, decide to select a major based on that goal and realize that they made a poor choice," Block said. "For those students, they will . . . avoid a career pathway early in their education, as opposed to later in college when it is difficult and costly to change directions."