developed in partnership with Galveston College. Dickinson ISD is the first in the state to offer this type of program to high school students. “I’ve never seen a program in all my 14 years in career and technical education grow this fast. It’s really unique,” conveys Dr. Everett. “They’ll get their limited medical radiologic technician certification, and then through Galveston College they’re able to stack another credential on top of that. They have employers reaching out to the college right now, they want to hire our students.” Agriculture remains one of the district’s largest pathways. Courtney Ramirez, Principal of Dickinson High School recounts,“When I started here in 2019, we had three Ag teachers, and we are up to 10 now. But Ag looks very different. It’s very broad, because they can teach a lot of different things.” The options include courses in Ag mechanics, floral design, Vet Med, equine science, small animal management, and soil science. “We had to add a second barn in order field, or immediate entry into the workforce. Director of Career and Technical Education Dr. Melissa Everett underscores the district’s strategic approach to preparing students for high wage, high demand careers in the Houston Galveston region.“When we start designing something, we don’t do it just based on theory. It’s really data driven,” she maintains.“We have a great opportunity to offer students lots of programming that other districts don’t have. Our biggest challenge right now is scheduling and space. So that’s why we’ve got this new building coming on. It’ll be great for us.” DIVERSE PATHWAYS Dickinson High School offers 12 programs of study, giving students exposure to a wide range of fields from engineering to veterinary medicine to culinary arts. Among the district’s most popular pathways are health science and information technology. The health science offerings are especially robust and include a groundbreaking imaging program 235 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12 DICKINSON ISD
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