The Vineyard Academy is a Hospitality Business focused educational system within Windsor High School. We ask for assistance from industry partners to work on our advisory panel of industry leaders, parents, students and educators to help us give our students the best possible education. The goal of bringing together an advisory panel is twofold: to give advice and provide support to the instructors and our students. We host three meetings each school year with our advisory committee, parents, students and teaching staff.
We seek expertise and support from people in all sectors of business and the hospitality industry. Our Advisory committee has several committees that help the students and staff plan out educational events. We ask that our advisory committee members consider joining one of our committees to support our efforts .
We need your guidance. Your advice will help us to tailor our curriculum to create the best learning experience for our students. Your experience will help our students as they transition from the world of high school into college and the work world.
The California Partnership Academy Vineyard Academy is a three-year program, grades ten through twelve, structured as a school-within-a-school. There are currently 340 funded programs throughout California. Academies incorporate many features of the high school reform movement that includes creating a close family-like atmosphere, integrating academic and career technical education, and establishing viable business partnerships. Emphasis is also placed on student achievement and positive postsecondary outcomes. Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance.
Key components of the Academy model are:
- CURRICULUM focused on a career theme and coordinated with related academic classes.
- VOLUNTARY student selection process that identifies interested ninth graders.
- TEAM OF TEACHERS who work together to plan and implement the program.
- MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES with private sector involvement to encourage academic and occupational preparation, such as: integrated and project-based curriculum, mentor program, classroom speakers, field trips, and exploration of postsecondary and career options.
- WORKPLACE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES such as job shadowing, student internships, and work experience.
Curriculum and Career Focus
The career technical focus for an Academy is determined by an analysis of the local labor market, with an eye toward fields that are growing and healthy, that offer jobs with career “ladders”, and that have companies willing to support the program. Career technical education is kept broad, focusing on industries rather than specific jobs in areas such as business technology, health, electronics, media, agribusiness, building trades, natural resources, finance, and retail trade. The integration of a standards-based academic and career-technical curriculum is a key ingredient.
Business Involvement
Vineyard Academy has a partnership with employers. Employer representatives:
- Serve on an Academy steering committee that oversees the program.
- Help to develop the career technical curriculum.
- Provide speakers for Academy classes.
- Host field trips to give students a perspective of the workplace.
- Provide mentors who serve as career-related role models and personal points of contact in the field of training.
- Provide internships and summer jobs for Academy students.