Dara Norman has seen students excel at LeCroy Career Technical Center but then fail when they go back to their home schools.

Often times, students at LeCroy are interested mainly in their careers in auto service, collision repair, cosmetology, welding and drafting, as examples, but have trouble connecting those careers to the general studies like math and English they take at their home schools.

The formation of the LeCroy Academy could change that, as it will give certain students the opportunity to stay at the Career Tech Center all day and take core courses that are designed specifically for their career fields.

“We want to gear their whole education to their career path,” said Norman, director of the Career Tech Center.

The Chilton County Board of Education approved the formation of the Academy at its meeting April 19.

The Academy will be implemented for the 2016-17 academic year that begins in August.

It will present a change from the longstanding schedule of students spending half a day at LeCroy and the other half at their home schools taking their core courses.

To facilitate the change, the school system will hire two full-time teachers and two facilitators, Superintendent Tommy Glasscock said.

The teachers will focus math and English studies to students’ career fields.

“We will still teach the standards, but English for example would focus on technical writing and resume writing,” Glasscock said. “It will be a little more specific to their pathway.”

Science and social studies will be offered at LeCroy using online classes, which is where the facilitators come in. They will help students with the software and be available to help when needed.

LCTC Assistant Principal Todd Davis said current students at the center were surveyed about their interest in a potential Academy.

After concerns about participation in extracurricular activities at their home schools (students would still be eligible for any activity offered at their home school) and transportation were addressed, Davis said 179 mostly 11th grade students indicated they would want to participate in the Academy.

As many as 200 students will be accepted into the Academy—100 seniors and 100 juniors.

“I have a feeling we’ll have to turn them away,” Davis said.

The students will start their days at their home schools but immediately be bussed to LeCroy, then back to their home schools at the end of the day.

Meals will be provided at the center.

Glasscock said officials studied such programs at other school systems when developing the idea.

“We didn’t reinvent the wheel,” he said. “There are several academies across the state where students are staying all day.

“We know that not every student is going to college, so the ones that aren’t, this will help them find some relevance in the coursework. We just think it’s going to bring it to where a student can relate to it.”

Students not a part of the Academy will still spend half days at the Career Tech Center as they have in previous years.

Next steps include LCTC officials meeting with principals of each county high school to go over the program.

Applicants to the Academy will be required to be in good academic and disciplinary standing.