dispersed, creating nearly 100 college graduates and 30 first-generation graduates.The program’s success has allowed it to expand, now also funding teachers’ master’s degrees and helping paraprofessionals earn teaching certifications in a “grow your own” strategy. This initiative forges a powerful community bond. Students are bused to the farm to witness the volunteer effort firsthand. As Callaway notes, “they lay eyes on it and it’s a first-hand experience of, hey, these guys are doing this for you.” This cultivates a profound sense of gratitude and reciprocity, perfectly encapsulating the district’s core ethos. PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: CTE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INFRASTRUCTURE GISD’s commitment to student readiness is evident in its robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, which include Agriculture, Health Science, Technology,and Business.A notable Aviation program, where students could earn their pilot’s license, is currently paused due to staffing but remains a district aspiration. A key differentiator is the early introduction to these fields; the district begins exposing students to STEM and CTE concepts as early as the seventh grade.“They’re more of an introduction… to introduce them to various things and then they can kind of see what they like and don’t like,” Callaway explains. “Then obviously when they enter high school, they typically have selected an avenue and it takes them through the senior year.” This forward-thinking approach extends to the district’s philosophy on technology. Having been a one-to-one device district for nearly a decade, GISD is now grappling with the emergence of AI. Callaway acknowledges the apprehension,noting,“it’s scary.” However, his outlook is pragmatic, comparing it to the introduction of calculators in classrooms. “We need to respect it and understand that there’s certainly a negative and it can be abused, but it can also be very beneficial,” he says.The district’s policy is to proactively introduce and discuss AI with students, establishing guidelines rather than ignoring it. “We 6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09
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