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2008 Project: Community Academies Advisory Board |
BEST PRACTICE FOCUS: CAREER PATHWAYS CONSORTIUM: DESCRIPTION: Like the lead character of the PBS Kids television series, “Bob the Builder,” our own version of Bob, Mr. J.C. Perrin, Chairman of West Boca Raton High School’s Community Academies Advisory Board (CAAB), inspires his team with a “Can-Do” spirit. Mr. Perrin, Vice President, Senior Private Banker, JPMorgan Chase Bank, is a dynamic leader prepared with the right tools-teamwork and a positive attitude-for overcoming any obstacle to get the job done. Recognizing the importance of a highly skilled work force, Mr. Perrin formed a dynamic collaboration with Principal Francis P. Giblin and the four Academies of West Boca Raton High: Culinary Arts, Drafting & Design, Information Technology and Medical Sciences. Over 30 professionals from local business, industry and higher education work in concert to offer their experience, expertise and resources to prepare Academy students to succeed in a global economy. Three significant results of these efforts have placed West Boca Raton High in the forefront of the Academy movement in Palm Beach County. In April 2007, the Academy of Culinary Arts received the distinction of being named a “National Model Academy,” through an extensive evaluation by the National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). CAAB members have joined with Academy educators to present career conference workshops on the implementation of the National Standards of Practice (NSOP) and CAAB’s contributions were featured in the article, “A Cook’s Tour: The Journey To Become A Model Culinary Arts Academy,” published in the March 2008 issue of Techniques, the professional journal of ACTE. Recognizing the value of CAAB contributions to the Academy success, the School District of Palm Beach County in partnership with the Monroe County School District incorporated CAAB’s expertise in a 5-year, $1,570,000 Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Grant. The objective of the grant is to replicate and disseminate West Boca High’s Culinary Arts Academy as a school-within-a-school choice academy model in Marathon High School. In April 2008, CAAB members participated in the evaluation process that earned the Academy of Drafting & Design’s Communications Technology Program the PrintED Accreditation, awarded by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF). PrintED is a national accreditation and certification program, based on industry standards, for graphic communications courses of study at the secondary and post-secondary levels. West Boca Raton High is only the second high school in the state of Florida to receive this prestigious designation. For these above accomplishments, I am nominating J.C. Perrin, Chairman of West Boca Raton High School’s Community Academies Advisory Board (CAAB), for the Best Practice: Models for Collaboration/Partnerships Award. CONTACT INFORMATION: |
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