Some students in Cabarrus County Schools are starting out the new school year at the district\u2019s first microschool and North Carolina\u2019s first microschool at the high school level.<\/p>\n
As the door opens on another school year, something new is starting inside one classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt won\u2019t just be within the four walls of their school, but they\u2019ll actually be going out into the community,\u201d said Sarah Reeves, chief academic officer for Cabarrus County Schools.<\/p>\n
Students will learn about human anatomy, but not exactly in the way you might think.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been marketing it to parents as we are not necessarily the blood and guts side of healthcare,\u201d said Kiera Parker, the program director of the new Healthcare Innovation Microschool at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord.<\/p>\n
Microschool means a small school within a big school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want their kids to be seen and known by their teachers. They want them to have that personalized experience,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n
The Pearl in Charlotte brings together researchers, surgeons and educators to propel advances in healthcare.<\/p>\n
Students will take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world by working with healthcare and technology professionals. The focus will be on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just preparing our students for the jobs of today, but the jobs of the future,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n
The students will hear from professionals about problems they\u2019re encountering in different sectors of healthcare. They\u2019ll pitch their own solutions, getting feedback from the business world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen is the time and the place to use artificial intelligence, when is it time to be able to put away the computer and critically think and problem solve?\u201d Reeves said.<\/p>\n
The first group of microschool graduates will be comprised of about 30 sophomores and 30 freshmen.<\/p>\n
The Healthcare Innovation Microschool is part of Cabarrus County Schools\u2019 \u201cProgram Choice\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n
Students can use this to apply to and get into programs like languages, fine arts or architecture and construction at schools beyond their local attendance zone.<\/p>\n
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