Olympic Heights High School to Hold Career Academy Open House on Nov. 16

Nov. 10, 2011 - PRLog -- BOCA RATON, FL, Nov. 9, 2011 – Olympic Heights Community High School will hold a Career Academy Open House on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public.

Eighth grade students at local middle schools and their parents are invited to this exciting evening to learn more about the six Career Academies that call Olympic Heights home. They include the Academy of Engineering, Academy of Teacher Education, Academy of Finance, Academy of Hospitality & Tourism, Culinary Academy and Fashion Academy.

“We are so proud of our academies here at Olympic Heights,” said Anita Foster, academy coordinator. “They have been growing year after year because students in the local community realize what an outstanding opportunity these academies present.”

Career academies are small learning communities within a high school. They offer a curriculum that includes a career focus but also meets college requirements.

These college preparatory programs, some of which have industry certification, offer students the opportunity to delve deeply into their career interests while they are still in high school. Through programs such as job shadowing, mentoring, internships, field trips and guest speakers, students in the Olympic Heights Career Academies not only learn and get a leg up on other students applying to college but also network, learn about career opportunities and make lifelong contacts and connections that will prove invaluable to them as they progress through their careers.

Each Olympic Heights Career Academy is supported by local business partners, many of which will be present at the Open House to support the programs.

“This is a partnership that has worked since the very beginning,” said Sandra Tagliavia, director of human resources at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, an Olympic Heights business partner since the inception of the Hospitality & Tourism Academy six years ago. “The Resort has a longstanding commitment to the community. Our passion is to give opportunities to the students in today’s world, and we try to help the students by mentoring, scholarships and in the classroom.”

The Open House will start at 6 p.m. in the theater at Olympic Heights with an introduction to the various Academies. Attendees will then have the opportunity to visit the Academy classrooms, meet teachers and students in the programs, take a tour of the school and then visit the cafeteria, where they can view displays of local business partners and the various clubs and sports teams at Olympic Heights. The program will conclude at 8 p.m.  

“Our Academies provide so many wonderful opportunities for the students,” Foster said. “They are rigorous, but they provide students with a high-quality education that equips them to attend college and earn a degree in a field of study in which there are substantial job opportunities.”

For more information about the Olympic Heights Career Academies, contact Anita Foster, academy coordinator, at 561-852-6610.

More information about Palm Beach County’s Choice Program can be obtained by visiting www.palmbeachschools.org/choiceprograms. Applications for entry into the Academies for the 2012-2013 academic year must be filed with The School District of Palm Beach County no later than Dec. 16, 2011.

About Olympic Heights  

Olympic Heights Community High School is an A-rated public high school located at 20101 Lyons Road in Boca Raton. It serves students in West Boca, parts of Boynton Beach and parts of Delray Beach as part of the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. The school offers six academy programs: Tourism and Hospitality Management, Finance, Engineering, Teacher Education, Culinary and Fashion Design. For more information about Olympic Heights, call 561-289-9726 or visit www.ohlions.com.