Story by Marianna Wright
9th grade Marketing and Management student
Today, each pathway of the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy’s (4C Academy) local Career Preparation Program, 4C Academy, is presenting what they have been discussing in Group Up. Group Up is a gathering of 9th and 10th grade students that goes deeper into their pathway exploration, where students learn more about their career choices, and use their knowledge to solve real world problems. Each pathway is working on a Group Up project to help the community. Each project presentation is a glimpse of what goes on inside each pathway.
The Healthcare Pathway is solving the issue of obesity/diabetes, cavities, and weak immune systems for children. They hope to solve this problem by encouraging 30-day water trackers and healthy snack alternatives.
The Technology pathway project has been dubbed “Skydrone.” The students noticed the lack of staff to monitor the 4C Carden during holidays. Skydrone is a computerized monitoring system that will help staff manage the needs of the garden during off times.
The Audio and Visual Technology pathway wants to get videos and vlogs out to the community to spread awareness of the need for fresh produce. Students claim they need camera equipment for film and computers to edit. They call their project “Picture Perfect Produce.”
The creative name, “FarmBot” belongs to the Mechatronics project. The students want to help make farming easier. They hope bringing technology to the garden allows garden staff to “never have to worry about watering the plants again.”
The Pathway, Teaching as a Profession, urges the need of 4C STEM Certification. They call their project “Stem Certification Tiger Team.” Students hope people realize the importance of STEM education at 4C Academy. The students also stress the need to create awareness of fresh food scarcity. Students believe that giving tours of our 4C Garden will spread the importance of healthy eating.
Back to our Healthcare Pathway, students want to make people aware of excessive screen time, model healthy screen time, and offer other activities like playing outside.
The Agribusiness project is “4C Green.” Their goal is to provide fresh produce to the community to solve the issue of a high obesity rate. They are going to grow fresh produce and hopefully partner with local organizations to help spread the word of availability of fruits and veggies.
Graphic Design wants to make banners and posters to encourage the awareness of food shortages. Students hope that people will realize the problem so that we can work together to solve it.
The Engineering Pathway is going to solve the problem of lack of power and energy so our garden can get what it needs. This will provide energy to our 4C Garden.
Health Informatics students aspire to inform the community about food insecurities, how to keep the environment clean, and how to be compassionate towards the less fortunate. Group-Up Projects are mostly focused on community service and giving back to the community. So far, the group has picked up 400 pounds worth of trash on Lockett Station Road. The students’ future projects will include canned food drives and prepping healthy meal boxes at the food bank.
The Marketing and Management pathway will spread the word of what goes on at 4C Academy. To achieve this, students will need cameras, notebooks, and advertising materials. Students seek attention for 4C Academy so people will know what is going on for our high school students.
As you can see, 4C Academy is accomplishing great things. Students are not only learning about it, they are doing it! Group-Up at 4C is creating a lot of great futures.