Lebanon Community School Corporation focuses on employability skills
Aug. 14—Lebanon Community Schools are teaching the soft skills, but they don't call them that.
Soft skills are really employability skills, and they're essential to students' success, Superintendent Jon Milleman said during a state-of-the-corporation presentation at Lebanon High School last week.
What businesses look for in prospective hires hasn't changed from 1970 to today, Milleman said. They want independent thinkers, critical thinkers, problem solvers, and those who can work collaboratively.
Those skills aren't taught through academics alone, but the corporation fosters them in a number of ways. One is by offering clubs for special interests, such as chess, reading, robotics, running and more.
STEM classes are another. They begin in kindergarten and continue through 12th grade. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. Each of Lebanon's four elementary schools has a STEM teacher this year. And the middle school will get new space for STEM classes during a remodel project slated to begin soon.
Rilee Vaughn, a Central Elementary fifth-grader, said she loves STEM classes and enjoyed dissecting a sheep's brain, an activity that taught about neuroscience.
"It was really fun and smelly," Rilee told the audience. She was part of a student and administrator panel that answered audience questions.
Jumping ahead
Lebanon students can also start their careers and earn college credit in high school.
About 156 of LHS's 1,000 or so students take part in work-based education. The school has 120 community partners in business and industry that allow students to complete internships during high school.
Panelist Emma Hornbecker, a senior, said she is excited to start work in a medical office this year. She wants to be a doctor some day.
Many of the students who serve local internships use them as real-world experience to help prepare them for careers and college, Milleman said.
Academics
The district offers 13 advanced placement courses that provide rigorous coursework that prepares students for the finest educational institutions in the country, Milleman said.
And the district has partnered with Butler, Indiana, and Vincennes universities and Ivy Tech Community College to offer courses that let high school students earn college credits.
It will soon be possible for graduating LHS students to also have earned an associate's degree from one of the partner institutions, Milleman said.
Building skills
The ABC Construction Prep Academy will come to Lebanon and offer construction trade classes beginning in the 2024-25 school year. ABC stands for Associated Builders and Contractors.
Students may earn various certifications and specialize in areas such as HVAC, framing, welding or plumbing. Those who complete the course will have completed level 2 apprenticeships.
And the district is unveiling a new program this year to help students explore a career in education.
The students will study principles of teaching and child and adolescent development for two years. Their study will culminate in year three with real-world experience in Lebanon's own pre-K classes.
