For the upcoming school year, students will become part of a new system of learning that combines interests and opportunities for future students.
The ‘Schools of Study’ that are being offered are Vocational and Technical Studies, Engineering and Applied Science, Fine Arts, Education, Law, Liberal Studies, Business, and Medicine.
The new ‘Schools Of’ program first came into light at the beginning of the 24-25 school year as a newly renovated wall of plaques stood to greet students outside the lobby area. This new program will begin with the Class of 2027, and all rising juniors from then on.
“The schools of study, there’s 8 of them, [are meant] to take future career and college interests of students and expose them to the elements of that while still in high school,” said assistant principal Eric Biagi.
The initial start to this idea first came up when the high school administrative team worked closely with superintendent of Commack Schools, Dr. Jordan Cox.
“The ‘School of Study’ is not an academic program, so it’s more of an experience. We wanted to give students the opportunity to select a School of Study going from sophomore year to junior year. This idea was really to give every student the opportunity to test drive a career before they left [high school],” said Cox.
This new structure was designed to give students a larger perspective, having them brainstorm ideas for future careers and majors in future years of schooling.
“Providing opportunities to explore potential careers and college options early on is incredibly valuable. It helps students discover what they’re passionate about and then connect that to their post high school plans,” said school counselor Gabrielle Moore, co-adviser for the School of Liberal Studies.
The Schools of Study will each have their own adviser, who will have the ability to create events, field trips, and bring in guest speakers to help engage and inform students about the future field they want to pursue.
“We’re looking to do a lot of field trips to local colleges. LIU Post [Long Island University Post] has a fantastic program and they have a lot of different programs related to healthcare…” said Lynn McConnell, adviser for the School of Medicine.
During an orientation session held on April 7 with the rising juniors about the Schools of Study, they were given the opportunity to learn more about the programs. During these sessions, students choose the top 3 order of which school they want to be a part of for the upcoming school year.
“[Students] are exploring their top three so they all pick the three that they’re most interested in. They’ll go to info sessions with the advisers of those schools and then they’ll select one to enroll in for the 2025-2026 school year,” said Biagi.
With years to come, students will be able to gain insight on what is actually happening behind the scenes of these jobs, careers, and futures children in high school are building for themselves.
“[Students] are picking a college based on a program that leads to a career they think they want to do for the rest of their life. We would love for our students to say ‘I know what I want to do’. Not everybody is able to do that by the time they leave high school,” said Cox.
The “Schools Of” program provides the opportunity to get ready for college, and to understand interests that will lead towards building a path to a future career.◼️
