I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and a great start to 2024. With the winter break behind us and the fast-approaching end of the first semester on January 12th, we look forward to a successful second half of 2023-2024. As 2024 arrives, it brings with it much excitement and opportunity for our students and families as we continue to strive toward providing the highest levels of education possible as well as overall school experiences for our students at any grade level.
On January 15th, the start of the second semester, the Bakken Area Skills Center will hold Watford City High School classes which are also offered regionally to member school districts via remote methods. The initial classes offered at the Bakken Area Skills Center include Building Trades, Health Careers, and Automation. Other programs facilitated out of the Bakken Area Skills Center and offered regionally include CDL and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Students will be utilizing the new space and equipment to enhance these Career and Technical Education class experiences including pathways of extended work experiences and post-secondary options. The Wolves Center Academy students will also be moving to the Bakken Area Skills Center for classes and greater opportunities for hands-on experiences as part of the alternative school experience. The initial use of the facility, this first semester, is to work through schedules, building operations and identify challenges/opportunities as we transition through the spring and begin planning for the fall 2024 to include expansion of classes and curriculum. Other programs planned for the fall 2024 include welding, auto and diesel mechanics, LPN as part of the Health Careers pathway, and Information Technology classes. This spring will also witness adult education classes offered at the facility to be used for training and certifications by local employers with more offerings expected in the next several months.
This initial semester of operating the Bakken Area Skills Center will also establish formal collaborations with post-secondary partners to provide extensive dual-credit opportunities. The vision is of students receiving certifications and work experiences that can be stacked and applied toward post-secondary education with a substantial portion of their post-secondary education completed during their high school experience. The Bakken Area Skills Center will also serve to expand on career awareness and guidance, with the assistance of programs such as Golden Path Solutions, to provide a greater connectivity with workforce and opportunities for students to better prepare for their adult employment lives with options available to them in our region. The overreaching goal remains to provide individualized educational experiences for students, based on their talents and aspirations, and to ensure they have the resources and support to make those decisions and to be successful upon leaving high school.
Watford City High School is exploring potential changes to its schedule and how it structures its classes to allow for greater flexibility in a student’s junior and senior year to coordinate with options available through the Bakken Area Skills Center. If a student can complete their required classes during their freshman and sophomore years, it would allow them the opportunity to take classes in their selected pathways and various work-based learning experiences in providing individualized learning environments and greater curriculum options for all students. These initiatives are targeted to help students and families receive the most of their high school experience and to maximize opportunities for post-secondary/workforce with the new flexibility offered at the state level to receive high school credits outside of the traditional school building environment. WCHS and our regional school districts are attempting to embrace innovation to maximize the opportunities available with the Bakken Area Skills Center and to provide increased support to all students regardless of their pathway or post-secondary goals.
The school district is planning an open house experience involving the new Bakken Area Skills Center later this winter/spring to showcase the facility and the opportunities available with it. Different than traditional grand openings of other school buildings, this facility will use a format of showcasing the hands-on experiences available to allow the community an opportunity to witness the potential offered to both K-12 students and adult learners. The open house will allow patrons to tour the building and learn how the spaces will be utilized and the potential available into the future. Please stay tuned for more information on this event as it is established for the February or March timeframes.
2024 will be another exciting year for McKenzie County Public School District #1 as we look forward to working with all our patrons to continually pursue ways to improve our educational experience for both student and parents.