The Business, Economic, Technology Academy at Gibbs High will be showcased tonight.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published October 13, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - After postponing its originally scheduled Discovery Night for a month because of Hurricane Ivan, the county's newest magnet program will welcome interested families at 6:30 tonight.
The program's most enthusiastic advocates may be the students themselves.
Juniors and seniors in the Business, Economic, Technology Academy at Gibbs High School have been practicing their presentations on a steady stream of middle schoolers who have been shadowing them to learn more about the program.
A handful of BETA students met on a recent Thursday morning in the school's conference room to answer questions of eighth-graders from the Walden School of Gulfport, Southside Fundamental Middle School and Bay Point Middle.
Senior Justin Clarke began by giving a brief overview of the program that allows students to complete basic high school requirements while preparing for careers in business and technology. Of the eight two-year pathways available - business management, finance, administrative assistant, Cisco networking, Oracle, PC support, Web Internet services and digital design - Justin chose the PC support strand.
Since entering BETA as a freshman, he told the younger students, he has learned how computers are put together and how to troubleshoot when problems arise. He explained that one of the things he likes best about the program is that he can mix and match honors and Advanced Placement classes with regular curriculum classes.
Britteny Lewis, another senior, told the middle school students that she, too, chose the PC support pathway. She added the business pathway last year to broaden her course options.
Senior Tim Rogers explained that he chose the Cisco pathway, which he values for its flexibility. He can work ahead by logging on to his course work from home, but his teachers are always available for face-to-face instruction.
Jasmine Jones, a junior in the business entrepreneurship pathway, told the students about her business law class, in which she is learning about contracts and partnerships. Another junior, Selena Cook, admitted she knew nothing about computers when she began the Oracle pathway. Three years into the program, she credits the BETA teachers for helping her home in on a career.
BETA is currently housed at Pinellas Technical Education Center, 901 34th St. S, but is scheduled to move across the street to Gibbs after the new school is completed next year. Program coordinator Sarah Lind is looking forward to joining the rest of the student body, but she said BETA's more isolated location has helped the students bond.
"Everybody functions as a family," she said. "They look out for one another."
Lind transferred as an assistant principal at Lakewood High School after former BETA coordinator Sharman Price retired last year. One of the main attractions was what she describes as the program's "true small learning community" atmosphere. Instructors work with the same group of students for the four years they're at Gibbs, weaving economic concepts throughout the curriculum. They stay in close contact, constantly discussing ways to help the students attain their academic and career goals.
Among the careers BETA students work toward are jobs in commercial banking, corporate finance, human resource management, marketing and digital design, Lind said. Senior year internships give them real-world experience that sharpens their skills and makes them more valuable to potential employers.
Additionally, Lind said, students can participate in dual enrollment classes at St. Petersburg College and earn certification in areas such as A+
(a computer language for programmers), Cisco (which has software and hardware systems that help power the Internet), networking and Oracle SQL (a computer language).
Unlike most other magnet programs that only have seats for incoming ninth-graders, BETA is accepting 10th-graders for the 2005-06 school year. Lind said there are about 20 seats available for incoming sophomores who have a preferred 2.0 grade point average for sixth and seventh grades and have satisfactory discipline and attendance records.
