High tech academies bloom at West Mesa

**Sandia offers students employment**

The lure of manufacturing jobs paying \$45 an hour at Sandia National
Labs is grabbing the attention of students, teachers and administrators
at West Mesa HA.

A special partnership and two high tech academies at West Mesa are
helping make that \$45/hour dream job a reality.

West Mesa teacher and academy director Tom Daly, reports the school has
developed two advanced technology academies in partnership with Sandia
National Labs (SNL) and Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (TVI)
that are designed to lead students into high-paying, full time
employment with Sandia after graduation from TVI.

The newest, a Photonics Academy, is modeled after the school's Advanced
Manufacturing Academy which was begun five years ago. The academy
specializes in photonics, the transmission of information through light,
and was developed in conjunction with SNL and TVI this year. It launches
this fall. The Photonics Academy will include core high school math,
science, history and English, but has an added technology component.
Students acquire computer skills and specialize in photonics.

The two academies are proving to be an attractive package to students
and their parents.

After graduation, academy students who pursue their high tech
associate's degree from TVI may be employed by Sandia, earning as they
go. When finished, the students move into a three-year probation at the
lab after which they become fully employed in the manufacturing area
earning \$45 and hour.

The concept for the unique partnership stems from the lab's need for new
younger workers trained in high technology fields.

About five years ago, Sandia approached Dr. Leno Pedrotti, chief
scientist with Texas-based Occupational Research and Development, a
leading research firm, who consulted with top photonomics experts
including Dr. Art Guenther with the University of New Mexico Center for
High Tech Materials. Guenther, who is co-chair of the Next Generation
Economy Initiative's optics and photonics cluster, joined forces with
Pedrotti and Dominique Foley-Wilson, an SNL education coordinator, to
develop a program with local high schools, TVI and universities.

The program creates relevance for students to learn, while contributing
to workforce development for Albuquerque's high tech companies.

"Sandia National Laboratories find that their workforce is aging-the
average employee age is 54 years old, and they didn't have entry level
workers in the pipeline," Daly says. "Their training facility was
dismantled and they had no way to train the people they needed."

Sandia representatives visited APS high schools seeking assistance
developing a high tech program after researching agreement with TVI on
curricula. In addition to West Mesa, Albuquerque HS has also developed
an Advanced Technology Academy headed by Mike Stanton in partnership
with SNL and TVI.

"West Mesa was chosen to participate in the academy concept because we
basically had the classes in place except for some science classes,"
reports Daly.

Our academy is made up of classes designed for the exceptional math and
science student; it's a concept, not a separate facility."

All Photonics Academy students will take algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2,
calculus. Electrical engineering was added to the curriculum, as the
classes were articulated with TVI so students receive credit for each
academy course.

The first class of 9^th^ graders joined the academy last fall, making
good friendships while successfully navigating their first year of high
school. About 70 percent of the original freshmen are still in the
academy, Daly says.

Female students make up a substantial portion, with girls holding the
top two Advanced Manufacturing academy spots. About 30 percent of the
incoming photonics class is female.

Recruiting students into the academies at a mid-school level is one of
the unique aspects of the program at West Mesa, creating a career path
for students beginning in the 8^th^ grade and continuing through the
doctorate level if students chose, thanks to the schools partnership
with TVI and UNM. Fifty-four students from three feeder middle schools,
Jimmy Carter, John Adams and Truman, have signed for the academies.

"We're bringing together highly motivated and highly qualified kids who
don't always find each other easily during that crucial freshmen year,"
Daly reports. "When academy students enter the program, they quickly
find a group of friends with similar interests and skills, all within a
smaller learning community environment that helps all students succeed."

The level and depth of student mentorships with SNL and other businesses
is another unique aspect of the academies, reports West Mesa Principal
Milton Baca. The academy program is aligned with state and district
standards and at the mid-and high school level within the cluster,
making transitions easier for students.

"The academies are another way of creating smaller learning communities
where students develop a sense of belonging," Baca says. "They develop
strong relationships with their teachers and each other and they can see
the relevance of the learning to their lives. The relevance is critical.
If every student understood how important education is to their lives,
we wouldn't have dropouts."

An SNL internship program available to seniors with a grade point
average of 3.0 or better has helped develop positive student
relationships with lab employees that appears to help raise student
achievement.

Sandia Lab's Dominique Foley-Wilson says, "We've seen the average GPA of
internship applicants go from 2.5 to 2.85- that's the average. We're
getting very high caliber individuals and we've found a way to keep them
from getting lost in the system.

"The academy concept is known as a critical skills program, which means
students are graduating prepared with the skills necessary to the
economic health and security of our country. Students get the science
and math education they need for a good career with the labs, our
suppliers or vendors," Foley-Wilson says.

Both academies have just received endorsement by the National Coalition
of Advanced Manufacturing, She reports a prestigious distinction that
recognizes the academies' high quality. The coalition believes the
academies are suitable national models for other schools.

The West Mesa program is designed to dovetail with the employability
standards published by Sandia, a strategy that allows ample flexibility
in the students' curriculum choices.

The kudos are popping up everywhere it seems.

The Photonics Academy has also captured the attention of the U.S. Dept.
of Energy.

Daly and other West Mesa staff will travel to Washington, D.C. in
mid-April to make a special presentation to government officials about
the academy. He has already met with the International Association of
Optical Engineers, which continues to assist with curriculum
development, while providing student scholarships for membership that in
turn should help students obtain higher education scholarships from the
society.

Getting the word out to the local business community is just as
important as national recognition.

West Mesa's academy partners are working with school staff to help
broaden awareness of the employment opportunities advanced technology
students present to Albuquerque businesses.

"In addition to employment opportunities at Sandia, we're hoping to
recruit medium and small businesses to consider employing academy
students in a technological capacity when they graduate," Baca says.

The middle Rio Grande Business Education Collaborative has assisted
their efforts, Baca says, and SNL's education outreach coordinator
Foley-Wilson, 'has been wonderfully helpful."

"Parents in the community are beginning to realize how their children
can flourish here," Baca says. "They understand the academies are
serious endeavors and it's our job to see that students are prepared for
the next step in their careers when they finish their classes here."

APS. "High Tech Academies Bloom at West Mesa: Sandia Offers Students

Employment." Perspective: An APS Employee Newsletter 15 April. 2002.