Monroe High School is pleased to announce that the LAUNCH program is growing! In addition to providing experiential learning opportunities in Business Analytics and Media Solutions, we are striving to meet the workforce needs of our community by offering three new topic areas (known as strands): Behavioral Health, Engineering Foundations and Skilled Building Trades. (As with other course offerings, there is a possibility that a particular Strand would not run if students do not sign up for it.)
LAUNCH is a year-long program where students explore careers of interest, while solving real world problems using industry standard tools. Students work on projects with professionals from local businesses and organizations, while receiving high school and potentially college credit and industry credentials.
Monroe High School’s LAUNCH program is excited to partner with local organizations to work with our junior and senior students and school community to provide experiences that will inspire and inform students of the authentic challenges that impact our local businesses and organizations.
Behavioral Health Strand
The Behavioral Health strand is geared towards designing innovative solutions to promote mental health and wellness for individuals and our community. Students will investigate a variety of interventions involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. This course provides an introduction to the culture of healthcare for students interested in working in various healthcare settings. Learners examine professionalism, interpersonal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills and patient privacy and confidentiality issues as they relate to working in the healthcare industry.
This strand also introduces students to the basic concepts of sociology: culture, socialization, social stratification, multiculturalism, and the five institutions, including marriage, family, government, economics, religion, and education. Other topics include demography, deviance, technology, environment, race, gender, social change, social movements, and workplace issues.
Skilled Building Trades Strand
The Skilled Building Trades strand will prepare students interested in careers in the skilled trades for various technology-related industries. It will expose students to the materials, tools, machines and processes used in light building construction. It uses a problem-based, hands-on learning approach to construction, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical, and uses the design process in building projects. Each challenge presented emphasizes the need for learning mathematical techniques necessary to solve the problem. Topics include communication and applications of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to construct solutions to complex, real-world problems.
Engineering Foundations Strand
The Engineering Foundations strand provides students with engineering research, design and fabrication skills. Students work in teams to design, develop and fabricate an original solution to a real-world, open-ended technical problem by applying the engineering design process. After carefully defining the problem, teams of students will design, build, and test their solution. While progressing through the engineering design process, students will utilize project coaches and will continually hone their organizational, writing, communication and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of design and process.
Do you have an idea for a project for your organization?
With the addition of three new strands, students will need real-work projects in the fields of Media Solutions, Business Analytics, Behavioral Health, Skilled Building Trades and Engineering Foundations. Businesses and organizations that offer projects should choose a project coach who will meet with their team of students for an hour every week. Coaching may take place in-person, through online meetings, or in classrooms where coaches act as professional experts, facilitators of process, and guides to delivering learning value.
LAUNCH projects should meet the following criteria:
● Real world projects that are important, but aren’t a number one priority. Consider items 7 through 9 on your to-do list
● Problems/projects that don’t already have a solution
● Projects that involve authentic problem solving and new idea development
● Projects that can be completed by a team of 3-5 students within 8-10 weeks
● Projects with clearly identified deliverables and outcomes
If you or your organization would like to engage in LAUNCH, please contact Cara Carper at caracarper@monroe.k12.wi.us.
— Cara Carper is the School District of Monroe Student Occupation and Academic Readiness (SOAR) Coordinator. If you are interested in hiring a Monroe High School student, contact Cara at caracarper@monroe.k12.wi.us or (608) 328-7573.
