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Creating Youth Voice and Agency: How CAST is Redefining San Antonio Education and the Student Experience

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Last year at CAST Tech High School, seniors chose the theme of “Legacy” for their capstone projects, identifying different ways to leave a mark on their school. One group of students aimed to improve industry opportunities for CAST Tech students with local tech companies. Another proposed innovative, social solutions to student isolation. Award-winning CAST Ink, the school’s new newspaper organization, presented on their first year and proposed a succession plan long after the founding members had graduated. The groups each had unique ideas, pitches, and activities to keep their audience engaged.

 

At CAST, part of every school’s curriculum is their year-long Project-Based Learning (“PBL”) assignment that students complete in small groups based on a specific theme. As part of the assignment, students look to identify an aspect of their school or community they wish to change, explore how to enact such change, and then, after several months of research and polish, present their best thinking to friends, family and CAST industry partners.

 

After their end-of-year presentations, members of CAST Tech’s senior class reflected on their final PBL, and what it meant to make an impact on their school. Many were optimistic about their proposed changes for CAST Tech, and each student felt they were able to leave a legacy in their own way.

 

Founded in 2017, the Center for Applied Sciences and Technology’s (CAST Schools) emphasis on student voice and project-based learning have been foundational for what separates a CAST School from traditional middle or high school. With seven different CAST Schools spanning four different school districts in San Antonio, CAST has taken the traditional role of the student and completely revolutionized it. With CAST, students are more than just learners – they are difference-makers, both inside and outside the classroom. CAST students have an immediate influence on their schools, and every year more and more students look to create, innovate and explore.

 

Across town, CAST Teach High School was preparing to implement two students’ award-winning idea. Earlier in the school year, Freshmen Ana and Jasper identified the lack of a safe space for reflection and well-being in their school. In fact, none of the neighboring schools did, either. And so, the idea of a ‘Wellness Room’ was born.

 

Wellness Rooms act as a space for students, teachers and staff to express themselves freely. For some students, they do not wish to speak to an adult to process their emotions, so Wellness Rooms accommodate this. And while there is no counselor inside a Wellness Room, the counselor’s office is next door, and the counselor is required to check in periodically. The wellness room can also satisfy religious requests by acting as a safe space for students to pray or meditate. To Jasper, this helps elevate student voice:

 

“I want to be there for my students who might not get that support from home.”

 

After months of planning and preparing (including writing their grant proposal themselves), Ana and Jasper – now sophomores – were ready to submit their PBL for grant approval. The grant was not only approved, but Ana and Jasper also received $5,000 to help implement a Wellness Room at CAST Teach! Ana and Jasper are the first students to ever receive a Northside Education Foundation grant. The two spent their summer building the Wellness Room at CAST Teach, and it was open for students at the start of the next school year.

 

Although no two CAST Schools are the same in terms of their career pathways, they are identical, however, in their emphasis on student voice and agency. From their annual civics fair, “Speak Up Speak Out”, in which students present community-based solutions to regional judges, to CAST Schools’ Youth Rally, an event organized entirely by the students, student voice is one of CAST’s foundational four pillars. Students have proven to be the pioneers and leaders for each school, and they will continue to innovate and trailblaze across all of CAST’s schools.

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The Centers for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) Network is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. CAST Schools are partnership schools with a focus on STEM careers, project based learning and work-based learning. Key partners include public school districts, higher education institutions, and local employers from target industries.