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Elementary and middle school students are getting hands-on experience in potential careers thanks to new career labs.

On Friday, Troup County Schools celebrated the implementation of Paxton & Patterson career labs in middle schools throughout the system with a ribbon cutting at Gardner Newman Middle School.

The innovative career labs help engage seventh-grade students in career exploration through hands-on, career-relevant activities.

TCSS invested in Paxton and Patterson kits for 11 elementary schools and labs for all middle schools, which it showcased at Gardner Newman. The labs, facilitated by chers, offer 30 modules, enhancing student engagement and career exploration. The program also aligns with high school career pathways.

The career labs help students for careers related to medicine, nursing, and health science programs – from Biomedical Engineering to Veterinary Medicine. 

A total of 17 Health Science modules are offered including Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology R & D,  Clinical Lab Practices, Dentistry, Emergency Medical Technician, Environmental Health & Safety, Health Information Management, Intro to Health Science Foundations, Medical Imaging, Mental Health, Ophthalmology, Pharmacology, Speech Therapy, Sports Medicine, Therapeutic Services and Veterinary Medicine.

“We have got to expose our students very early to all of the opportunities that they have moving forward, and to keep them engaged and to ensure that they have a plan for when they leave high school,” said Dr. Jennifer Pike, Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Director for TCSS.

The program helps students get excited about their future, Pike said.

“The students are engaged. They are working, they’re talking, they’re problem-solving and they’ve got their hands in the business of what they’re learning,” she said.

Charley Lundy, one of two Paxton and Patterson Lab teachers at GNMS, said kids are excited to participate in the labs and it’s helping with behavior as well.

“I’ve never seen my students at Garden Newman so excited to come to my classroom. They’re being exposed to different career choices that they might not have even considered before,” Lundy said. 

“Parents are excited. The students are excited. I really believe that it’s affecting our discipline problems as well. A lot of discipline comes in classrooms because they think it doesn’t matter,” Lundy said. “These students come in and they put on their lab coats and they put on their gloves and they are ready to rock and roll.”

The program offers instruction on a wide variety of careers, not just science-based. Many students were particularly interested in the cosmetology labs.

For more information on the labs, visit paxtonpaterson.com.