Washburn Institute of Technology is a vocational school which offers courses for adults and high school students. In order for high school students to be able to attend Washburn Tech, which is tuition free thanks to the district, students need to be on track to graduate.
Two credits of physical education, two credits of fine arts, Success 101, and Personal Finance need to be completed at the end of sophomore year.
Those who are at least a junior must pass an entrance exam over math and reading. Then it’s time to pick an area of study.
There are many different courses offered through the Washburn Tech program.
Students have a chance to begin their training for their future jobs a couple years early.
“This is the first year that they offered a cosmetology program, and I wanted to get it out of the way in high school,” says Dawson Hiegert, 11. “It’s great because I get to spend less time in the high school.”
With the different courses comes options for how long a high school student attends Washburn Tech. Students can choose the semester-long, year-long and two year-long programs. This 2016-2017 school year, 32 students are attending their first year, and 15 seniors are in their second year attending Washburn Tech to complete their program.
“I want to get my certificate in Culinary before I go to college for an arts degree at Washburn University because I want to be either a chef or a pastry chef,” says senior Faith Boyd. “I get to make food and eat it. Who wouldn’t like that?”
When students graduate from high school, they graduate with a diploma and their certificate from Washburn Tech. This year’s students have been attending Washburn Tech for a month and a half now and will continue until their programs are completed.
“I plan on attending KU after high school, but in order to have a medical job I have to get my CNA,” says Madisyn Krentz, 11. “I’m taking the CNA portion they offer at Washburn Tech because it’s easier to get it out of the way with free tuition….It’s the same teacher for three hours and 10 minutes, so it feels like it lasts forever.”