‘This is fun.’ How Zoo School helps teens prep for careers – and college.

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At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, high school senior Reid Rogers is embracing a hands-on education.

“It’s very interactive,” he says of the program. “And for me personally, that makes learning a lot more fun and a lot less boring.” 

Why We Wrote This

The career and technical education of today doesn’t look the same as the vocational ed of years ago. Not only have the offerings changed, but so, too, have the expectations about where it leads. Part 1 of 2.

Zoo School, as it is called, is one of a plethora of programs from the Delaware Area Career Center. It’s also part of something that Ohio schools champion: career and technical education. And over the past 50 years, CTE has come a long way from wood shop. The zoo opportunity is an example of modern CTE, where young people get exposure in high school to career skills – and mentors – and a jump on a profession. But these days, that doesn’t mean they’re not going on to college: Most, if not all, of the Zoo School students will pursue degrees.

The waitlist for the program suggests a shift in parental mindset, says Jay Poroda, superintendent of the Delaware Area Career Center. “I think parents are starting to realize that there’s not just one path for success in the future.” 

It’s just after 8:30 on a sunny Tuesday morning, and Kailyn Roush is all smiles. She is eager to traverse familiar terrain: the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The zoo doesn’t open for another 30 minutes, which gives her plenty of time to film a “keeper talk,” an informational video about an animal. Kailyn and her project partner, Maddie Hehl, wrote and edited the script. They and another student, Maddie Howman, walk to the Asia Quest exhibit and find the red pandas – mother Kora and daughter Santi.

As the furry animals scurry in and out of sight and up a small tree, Kailyn and her partner take turns giving fun facts about the tiny duo. (Did you know that red pandas have to eat at least 20% of their body weight each day to survive? Or that the endangered animals’ diet is mostly bamboo shoots and leaves?) They finish shooting and beseech viewers to get involved with animal conservation. Their next stop is a visit to the Pallas’ Cat enclosure, where tiny 2-month-old twins cuddle with their mother.

Why We Wrote This

The career and technical education of today doesn’t look the same as the vocational ed of years ago. Not only have the offerings changed, but so, too, have the expectations about where it leads. Part 1 of 2.

“I’ve known since [age] 5, I’m going to work in a zoo,” Kailyn says exuberantly. Her mother told her about this zoo opportunity when she was in the fifth grade. She applied in high school and earned a spot in the program run by the zoo and the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC), which offers career and technical training support for high schoolers and adult learners. Students enter DACC through a lottery, and there is a waiting list, with parents hungry to send their children there. 

Zoo School, as it’s called, is one of a plethora of programs from the center. It’s also part of something that Ohio schools champion: career and technical education. And over the past 50 years, CTE has come a long way from wood shop. The zoo opportunity is an example of modern CTE, where young people get exposure in high school to career skills – and mentors – and a jump on a profession. But these days, that doesn’t mean they’re not going on to college: Most, if not, all of the Zoo School students will pursue degrees.

Ira Porter/The Christian Science Monitor

High school friends (from left) Maddie Howman, Kailyn Roush, and Maddie Hehl spend time in their Zoo School classroom, Sept. 17, 2024, at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

“I would say there was a stigma in career tech education, and I think to a certain extent there still is a little bit of a stigma, not on the part of the students, but on the part of the families,” says Jay Poroda, superintendent of DACC.

He points to the waitlist for Zoo School as a broader shift in parental mindset. “I think parents are starting to realize that there’s not just one path for success in the future,” Mr. Poroda says.

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