As students return from winter break, Columbus Public Schools is moving forward with new career education opportunities and celebrating the impact of student involvement. Superintendent Dr. Chip Kay joined KLIR’s Community Spotlight on January 6 to discuss the semester ahead.
Listen Now!
The district continues to grow its healthcare pathway with Columbus Community Hospital. “It's an amazing opportunity,” Kay said. “Med aides are hard, hard to find. Even as a school district, we employ a couple of med aides.”
Students can earn the certification in addition to their CNA, Kay said. It allows them to distribute medication as a CNA would. “We have nearly saturated the market with students who have their CNA. The med aide is another certification.”
One student, Ashley De La Cruz Martin, recently used her CNA training to save a life. “She was a student who completed her CNA through our program at Columbus High School… and brought him back to life,” Kay said. “Both the first responders and the family credit Ashley with saving his life.”
Kay also highlighted success in SkillsUSA and mechatronics programs. “We've had national champions from our community, kids that have scholarships or jobs waiting for them after college because of (SkillsUSA).”
Extracurricular activities remain a key part of CPS’s approach. “I'm of the philosophy that the more opportunities we can provide kids… they're pretty top-tier hires,” Kay said.
Kay emphasized the value of activities like music, drama, art, and competitive dance: “We have students getting their schooling paid for because we offered an opportunity for high school dance team."