AI tool. “We’re in the pilot right now, and our IT director is leading it, because if we’re going to lead this, we need to first learn how to use it,” Koeppen acknowledges. The district is also running a pilot in partnership with the state of Arizona to introduce students to Khanmigo, an extension of Khan Academy.“It is like having a personal assistant on your computer. They can ask questions, it will never give them answers, but it guides them through their own thinking to lead them ultimately to what they’re going to answer for the assignment,” she elaborates.“We’ve had to do a lot of education on both sides, not only with the students, but we’re helping our instructors become more comfortable with it, so we’re eliminating that fear around AI.” FOSTERING EXCELLENCE THROUGH CREST, STEM AND CTE PVSchools’ CREST (Center for Research, Engineering, Science and Technology) is a four-year STEM and CTE program designed to help prepare students for the careers of tomorrow. “The real magic that happens with CREST is that it’s a small learning community that celebrates innovation, problem solving and leadership,” explains Fulk.“It’s an application process, so they’re choosing to come to CREST because they’re looking for rigor. They want to be with a collective of students that are forward thinking, that are doing career exploration, and they just strengthen each other.” Students in the program have access to a curriculum that spans computer science, engineering, and emerging fields like bioinformatics. The district’s commitment to career and technical education is evident in its partnerships with local industries and higher education institutions. “Right now, being in CTE is a pretty exciting space to be, because industries are in such need of employees, so they’re really starting to work with us at a rapid rate and a higher level,” Melissa Molzhon, Director of CTE, portrays. “We have internship programs where students can work with our local businesses and gain hands-on experience in their field of interest, while also earning academic credit. All of the CREST kids in their junior to senior year do an internship. So that’s about 150 students, in that one program alone.” PVSchools Schools relies on a network of partnerships helping to bridge classroom learning with these real-world experiences. Honeywell is one example, bringing together students at all levels to collaborate on large projects, and giving opportunities for future leaders to step up. “Honeywell has been a huge part of that, with engineers elbow to elbow with 307 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 PARADISE VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
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