submitted by: Kim Jolley, Teen Programs Coordinator

Around the office at VLP we use the term “College Going Culture” as shorthand to describe to ourselves and visitors the idea that we want our students to be prepared for education after high school. At the same time, we know that “college going” is not the right term for us. We know we want students exposed to all kinds of options and career opportunities and that four years of college is not the right fit for everyone. So while we will always be taking advantage of our position in Baltimore to visit the plethora of college and universities here, we also want to sprinkle in possibilities like getting 10 months of training with ABC Baltimore to become an electrician or HVAC specialist. The recent half day of school provided us with the opportunity to take a tour and get more information.

Chris and Donte from ABC coordinated a great afternoon for our middle school students. We had a quick tour of all the labs and workshops: electrical, sprinklers, HVAC, plumbing, and carpentry, and then headed to the classroom where all the kids worked on their own Christmas-related construction project. Some of the kids took these home to paint, add their LED lights and put in the bedroom; some planned to give them to their moms as a gift. Either way, it is a visit that will hopefully stick in their minds as they enter high school and start to consider what they want to do as young adults.