Triad students will soon have new facilities and new class offerings thanks to a $2.2-million grant the district was awarded by the state.
Triad Local Schools was awarded $2,189,266 through the Ohio Career Technical Education Equipment Grant, a state grant intended to expand the number of career and technical programs at districts throughout Ohio.
The grant will be used at Triad to expand academic pathways in Allied Health, Precision Agriculture and Design and Development, as well as to create an Information Technology pathway.
When district officials submitted their application in December, Superintendent Vickie Maruniak said the pathways revolve around lucrative career fields.
“We’re looking for jobs that kids can graduate and be already in the market,” she said.
Triad will use the grant funding to construct an expansion on the high school building adjacent to the loading dock that adds an allied healthcare lab, IT lab and renovates the existing agriculture lab and adds a lecture space.
In the allied healthcare lab, there will be four medical stations, each with hospital beds and a sink, separated by curtains that can be pulled forward.
That lab will connect to a lecture space with folding chairs and tables so it can be rearranged as needed. Maruniak said the room could also be used as a community space.
Across the hallway will be a renovated ag lab, next to a new IT lab.
Maruniak said the space will likely have screens on the walls and be equipped with laptops so it enables “movement” depending on what layout best suits the course. She said she can also envision the space being used for gaming clubs or eSports after school.
“The district will work over the next several weeks to prepare for a building expansion project and will work with students to help make the classroom vision for these spaces a reality,” according to a statement from district officials.
The superintendent previously explained that the expanded pathways will supplement the district’s partnership with Ohio Hi-Point.
Through the grant, students will be able to take courses in their desired pathways at Triad High School rather than exclusively at Hi-Point.
Some of the most popular pathways, such as nursing, meet their capacities at Hi-Point quickly, so offering courses at Triad will allow more students to participate.
When Triad eighth graders move on to high school, they are required to declare two career pathways.
Along with their core classes like English and math, students take classes that correspond with their pathway. Those courses begin their freshman year and continue until they graduate.
Students who pursue classes through Triad’s new, in-house pathways would have similar schedules, Maruniak previously said.
She explained that the curriculum is largely laid out by the state and there are a variety of courses that can be offered for each pathway. Students are required to complete a certain number of classes in order to earn certifications.
Students in the new pathways will be able to graduate with a number of career certifications.
The grant will cover the cost of everything but personnel, Maruniak said in December. District officials said they plan to hire two teachers for the new programs.
“I don’t think there’s any issue (financially) in adding those two,” Treasurer Nathan Hilborn said at the time.
The district is required to begin offering the new classes by August.
Officials thanked staff members for their work toward obtaining the grant funding, as well as community and business partners including WDC Group, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, Business and School Liaison for Champaign County Chris Flowers, Battelle/Ohio STEM Learning Network, Berry Digital Solutions, Data Path, Rittal, Nanofiber Solutions, Lanette Johnson with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE).