Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) is committed to transforming education to ensure their students are ready for life after graduation, whether they enroll in post-secondary education, enlist in the military or enter the workforce.

In the fall of 2024, FWCS launched the Freshman Schools of Success at each of the district’s high schools. The program allows high schoolers to connect their core academic studies with real-world relevancy. Due to the success of the program, the school district extended this kind of learning opportunity to other grade levels.

“We decided to design a program for our middle school students that would provide them with the same kind of hands-on career exploration,” says Jesse Webb, director of Career and Technical Education at FWCS.

Through a collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne (BGCFW), FWCS utilized BGCFW’s skilled trades and manufacturing training center, the Jim Kelley Career Pathway Center, to provide their seventh and eighth graders with hands-on experiences in various industries, such as manufacturing, information technology and health sciences.

“What we try to do at the middle school levels and then pre-K through eighth grade is build some guaranteed experiences that align with the three Schools of Success we offer: Heath Sciences and Human Services; Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology and Trades; and Business and the Arts,” says Webb. “That way, by the time students are freshmen, they can decide what pathway they want to go into.”

With the success and interest generated from the seventh and eighth grade program, Webb wanted to expand into sixth grade but was not sure about what concentration to offer them. “We were really heavy manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades-focused for seventh and eighth grades. We needed a healthcare-focused program because they’re the top job industry here in Allen County. So, we partnered with Parkview Health.”

The pilot run of the sixth-grade program with Parkview took place in the fall of 2024 and was modeled like the seventh and eighth grader experience at the Jim Kelley Career Pathway Center where no more than 30 students participated at a time. Parkview brought a mobile bus (a vehicle simulated to be like an ambulance) where students could practice CPR and other medical treatments on mannequins. The mobile simulation bus visited six of the 11 middle schools in the school district.

“The students participated in a lot of hands-on activities, keeping them engaged for short periods of time. Again, it was just career exploration, but it gave them an opportunity to see it. Kids don’t know what they don’t know. So, if they don’t see it, they are probably not going to be interested in it. It went really well,” says Webb.

After the initial pilot run, FWCS met with Parkview to debrief and came to the realization that despite how well the program went, in its current form, it would be unsustainable over the years because of the manpower it takes to run. A modified version of the program had to be developed.

“We came up with a career fair type of exploration that we are piloting this spring on two different dates. We had one at the end of February where we took three of the remaining middle schools and made it similar to what happens at the Jim Kelley Career Pathway Center,” says Webb.

The school brought their students to Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, and Parkview set up 15 different stations for students to visit. This allowed for more exploration because it offered radiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physicians, nurses, sports medicine and more. The students were given an hour to freely explore the stations. They also had the opportunity to go outside and visit the simulation bus. In addition, Parkview offered career planning, helping students map out their future if they were interested in anything they experienced that day. Webb said it really morphed into something better than what they did in the fall. The next career fair will take place in late April.

Webb notes FWCS has been thrilled by Parkview’s willingness to be at the table and ask how they can best accommodate their students. “It’s really unique, I would say in how they are involved, where they’re like, ‘What do we need to do? What do you want us to do?’ When you look at a partnership, that is what a partnership is.”

He also states that he would like to see other business partners in the room take the leap and get involved, something even Parkview challenges. “It’s all about giving our students the opportunities to explore what is best for them moving forward, and if our business partners have that same mindset – that it’s a talent pipeline for them and they’re all able to work together – I think that’s the key.”

To learn more about the Parkview Mirro Center Simulation Lab, visit parkview.com/mirro-center/simulation-lab.