campus, and then in the spring, they will be pushing out to facilities that we’ve partnered with to get their clinical hours,” Helms explains.“We’re really excited about that, and we plan to expand that every year as students complete their certification.” Collin College also provides other advanced opportunities, as Dr. Floyd highlights, “We had students this past year who graduated with their associates degree before they graduated with their high school diploma. So that was pretty neat.” PARTNERSHIPS AND LOCAL COLLABORATIONS Blue Ridge ISD values the support and engagement of its community, recognizing that many “learning beyond the classroom” opportunities are made possible through strong local partnerships. Helms describes, “In setting up our lab, we reached out to every skilled nursing facility in a 20 mile radius. We received letters of support from all of the businesses in our area saying that they’re very excited that we agricultural space,” Helms acknowledges. “But we see our teachers utilizing more and more advanced technologies, through welding, animal tracking, livestock production, all of these things. We’re really trying to integrate the skills from all of the core areas as our students move through a significant and expansive certification process at the high school.” PARTNERSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY In collaboration with Collin College, the district is opening doors for students to pursue careers in healthcare. “We’re very excited about our medical pathways this year,” underscores Helms. “We have a partnership with Collin College, which is our regional partner for higher education, and we have two really significant opportunities.” One of those is EMT certification, an option being offered for the first time this year. The district is also one of the first in the area to open a certified nursing assistant skills lab. “Our students will be having their lab hours and their classroom hours on 169 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 10 BLUE RIDGE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
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