How well did the academy fair do in shedding light on the different pathways open to rising sophomores? Throughout the week of January 13th, the ninth graders of Oakland Tech explored with the five different academies presented to them in the girl’s gym. Our reporters attended the fair during third period to gauge the opinions held by the audience.
Some students were intrigued by what the pathways had to offer.
“I like the fashion academy because I’ve been interested in making my own clothes,” Rueben Webb remarked, “I think it could help me make my own brand and start selling clothes.”
Others thought the enthusiasm of presenters was lacking: “And the students, they are not trying very hard” commented Ratchy Rebinol. “Some of them, they’re just sitting.”
Others seemed more interested in the candy, rather than the information the academies offered: “I like the engineering academy,” Samuel Miller added, holding a fistful of candy, “they gave us food.”
The atmosphere in the girl’s gym during the exhibition was chaotic and slightly overwhelming. The academies set up tables along the walls of the girls’ gym, displaying posters detailing their respective activities. Many freshman as well as Scribe reporters remarked that it was hard to hear one-self think, let alone listen to somebody explain an academy to them. The experience felt unstructured as well, with some students wandering around between stations and some avoiding them altogether.
Another opportunity to learn about the pathways was held during lunch on January fourteenth. In many ways, this was the antithesis of the fair held earlier during class hours. Teachers spoke one on one with students, giving them the hard sell on their respective academies. While very few students actually came during lunch, the ones that did gained a clearer impression of their options for next year.
Though these deficiencies are not an entirely new phenomenon. “I remember when I was a freshman I barely knew which academy I should go for.” Ishaan Rajan recalls, “The academy fair sure didn’t help either, I just hung out with my friends.” It seems the academy fair has been underperforming for a number of years, leaving kids rather clueless about the direction they want to take.