northtechnical.org

North Tech's networking academy
receives national recognition.

When Dustin Ford talks "tech," people listen.  Ford is learning to design and maintain computer networks. His goal is to become a network administrator, a job that could ultimately pay as much as $80,000 a year in today's dollars.  Ford, 18, is enrolled in an honors class at the Cisco Networking Academy at North Technical High School in Florissant. The two-year class is the equivalent of five college-level classes and has been designated as the first technical-school honors program in Missouri.A network administrator essentially controls how computer users receive their information.

"Any company could hire some form of information technologist," Ford said. "But a network administrator deals with routers and the business's computer network, controlling what information goes to each router." The St. Ann resident is at the top of his class and is the first person in the nation to be certified as a CCENT, a Cisco-certified network entry technician. Cisco recently recognized the school's "effective and appropriate education delivery methods employed in the classroom," by awarding North Tech its 2007 U.S. Academy Recognition award.Jim Elkins teaches students about computer repair and maintenance, networking for home and small businesses, and working at a small-to-medium business or an Internet service provider. The class also provides an introduction to routing and switching, as well as designing and supporting computer networks, the area that most interests Ford. Elkins said the networking academy began in 2001 with seven students. This year, 35 are enrolled. "We're the poster child, the one that shows tech school can be a place for college-bound students," Elkins explained. He noted, "in this class, we expect students to go to college." Because the course is an honors class, students can earn 31 hours of college credit at St. Charles Community College or 26 hours of credit at St. Louis Community College. "We're not your father's tech school," Elkins said. Julius Leachman III, of Bel-Ridge, has plans to study computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His goal is to become a CCNP, a Cisco-certified network professional. "Before I started this class, I thought I knew a lot," said Leachman, 18. "I didn't know how much I didn't know." He said he was forced to wait until his sophomore year to begin the program. "I was disappointed that freshmen couldn't enroll," Leachman said.

By Valeries Schremp Hahn
Wednesday, September 11, 2008
from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

For these high school seniors, memories of Sept. 11 are hazy. They were fifth-graders then, and they remember their teachers turning on television sets, talking in hushed tones, fighting back tears. Now, these 16 students are spending their senior year earning certifications in weapons of mass destruction from the Department of Homeland Security. They will discuss hazardous materials, what led up to the terrorist attacks, and the very real possibility it could happen again."You just never know," said Victoria Phillips, 17, who is thinking about becoming a police officer or going into forensic science. "I need to know as much as I can."These students are enrolled in one of the few high school programs in the country to offer career training in domestic preparedness and homeland security. They attend South and North Technical High Schools in the Special School District, which says it was the first in the nation to offer such a program, starting it three years ago.