Inside Arlington’s new state-of-the-art career center
Students from one of the last school districts in the D.C. area to return to the classroom did so Monday, and some Arlington Public Schools students kicked off the year in a brand-new high school.
The Grace Hopper Center, which provides hands-on learning opportunities, is home to 24 career and technical education programs, with everything from automotive body repair to cosmetology and TV production.
Students from across Arlington County, Virginia, can come to these programs throughout the day. It is also the home of four full-time programs, including three nontraditional pathway programs, and the Governor’s STEM Academy, Arlington Tech.
“So excited to finally have this building come together. It’s been many years of our, of work,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said. “So many offerings for students to explore, choose, learn new paths and just be thoughtful about what might be out there for them in the future.”
Margaret Chung, a co-principal at Grace Hopper, told WTOP, “I’ve heard many of the students say it doesn’t feel like a school. It’s so unique and different. The environment feels open, more like a college campus.”
One of the school’s programs covers automotive body repair and last year’s students built an electric car that is capable of topping out at 90 mph. Wilmer Castro, the teacher in charge of this hot rod, said they have it governed to just 35 mph when students use it.
The next step in this monthslong project is to add a second row to the vehicle and make it more autonomous. It can already move forward and reverse by itself.
“It was just a shell,” Castro said. “We decided to turn this into a bigger project-based learning.”
The automotive team partnered with computer science students to code the car in order for it to become autonomous. The project has won numerous awards across the commonwealth.
Another focus for students looking to receive career and technical training is the culinary arts. The students there need to break in a new kitchen.
“They had the opportunity to work in the old kitchen and now they get the new kitchen, and so they’re fired up and ready to go,” culinary arts instructor Renee Randolph said.
She said students get the whole restaurant experience, starting with food safety and sanitation.
“Doesn’t matter how good the food is, if we’re not using safe practices when we’re preparing it,” Randolph said. “Then we go into commercial kitchen equipment, different preparation techniques, building flavor, and then we get into food service management.”
They even serve the community via a small cafe at the school.
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The Grace Hopper Center may seem like a spot for students who know exactly what they want to do, but Kimberly Jackson-Davis, co-principal at Grace Hopper, said that’s not the case.
“It does help the students that don’t, because you’re recognizing all the things that are out there for you,” Jackson-Davis said.
Students such as Evie Viola are also excited about the new digs and ready to see what people are working on.
“If you walk anywhere, there’s someone doing some sort of CTE project or exploration,” she told WTOP during her first day back. “The new building is very easy to get lost in, but it’s very fun. The CTE courses kind of being everywhere is like a fun aspect.”
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