FAYETTE COUNTY, Ohio — It’s been one week since officials broke ground for the new electric vehicle battery plant in Fayette County.
However, for months now, local educators have been working to revamp their curriculums so their students can be prepared.
“We don’t even have to move it — just get it in the right spot,” said Joseph Somers as he and his friends looked over their robot.
Somers, Calvin Brand and Lucas Bailey are students at Washington Middle School in Fayette County.
“We’ve been doing this for a few months. We just started at the beginning of 6th grade,” said Bailey.
“It’s fun building them and making them be able to do something that would help you finish a task,” Brand added.
It’s a fun time, but even in the 6th grade, they can see how these skills can prepare them for the future.
“Basically it’s something you can use in life, like engineering skills and all that. If you wanted to be an engineer or construction, or somebody that makes cars,” Somers said.
With so much talk about the new EV battery plant being built a few miles away, schools and the state are investing in the future.
“It is no accident that when Jennifer first started making introductions today, it was of our educators,” said Gov. Mike DeWine at last week’s news conference during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Having your goals mapped out by middle school or high school certainly isn’t something you have to do, but the superintendent said that STEM learning is something they’re taking very seriously from early on, even in elementary school.
“We are developing some pathways for our high school students to get a good basis for technology and science, and mathematics,” said Washington Court House City Schools Superintendent Tom Bailey.
Bailey said he’s already talking to reps from Honda about how the district can best prepare the students for success.
“We’re ready to get our students to Honda and these other companies that will give them a great life,” he said.
Next year, the district will be offering new courses and pathways focused on business and tech and a special nine-course partnership with the University of Cincinnati.
“Once our students take those nine courses, that will complete their first year of the technology IT at the University of Cincinnati while they’re still Blue Lion students,” he said.
While prepping for high school and beyond might seem far down the line, for the 6th grade robotics students, they already know what’s possible.
“It can definitely help you if you’re wanting to be somebody that builds stuff and like it can make you a lot of money once you grow up and get a job like that,” Somers said.
