Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Students in the IT Academy use technology in all their classes. Director Amy Johns (standing) hopes to enroll 60 freshmen this fall. (Photo: Tammy L. Lane)

Today’s high school students have lived their entire lives in an online world. They twitter, they text, they blog, and they post their lives on the walls of Facebook pages. They can do more with a cell phone than most adults can do with a desktop computer. And now Fayette County has a specialized academic program aimed at growing their curiosity and honing their skills to prepare students to enter the high-tech 21^st-century workforce.

Now in its second year, the Information Technology Academy, housed at Bryan Station High School, is designed to arm students with valuable skills and knowledge that will serve them in any career path they choose.

“We are building a fabulous program where students will get to focus their career at BSHS on technology-related topics of study while still having room in their schedule for other interests such as band and art,” said Amy Johns, who directs the academy.

While the application window for the 2009-10 school year has officially closed, she is filling the remaining slots on a first-come basis. All interested Fayette County students are eligible to apply, even if they live outside the Bryan Station attendance area. The academy targets incoming freshmen, particularly those already involved in the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP).

“During their four years, students will take classes in Web design, programming, computer systems, digital video and media and more,” Johns said. “Kids are also grouped together for core classes.”

Along with focused coursework, students can participate in paid internships, field trips, mentoring and community projects. They also can benefit from the small learning community approach and make useful connections through business and community partnerships.

The IT Academy’s advisory board, which meets monthly, includes representatives from such companies as Lexmark, IBM and Central Baptist Hospital, who also serve as a jumping-off point for student internships. “The idea is they’ll use the skills they’ve been working on at school and get some real-world experience,” Johns said.

To promote the IT Academy, Johns has written to middle school STLP coordinators, advertised through middle school counselors and distributed a one-minute video to schools. She also pitched it to eighth-graders in the Bryan Station feeder schools.

“There has been a lot of interest in the program this year, but overall I think most people still don’t know we are here,” she said.

Johns hopes the academy will welcome about 100 students this fall, including 60 freshmen. She’d ultimately like to see 240 kids across all grade levels (9-12).

Obviously, if students are interested in technology, that’s key. But “the kids that are in the program are not just ones who want a technology career, she said. “Information technology crosses lots of areas.”