ORLANDO, Fla. -Students in Orange County are getting the chance to learn about a different way to go to school. We all know about subjects like reading, math and history, but what about classes for aerospace or veterinary science? Those are just a couple of the 33 different magnet programs offered in Orange County elementary, middle and high schools. The district is hosting a Magnet Fair on Thursday evening at Edgewater High School so parents and students can come and explore the different programs OCPS offers. At Colonial High School, students are enrolled in the Veterinary Animal Science magnet program. Many of the students went into it with an interest in dogs and cats, but the program has led them to explore other degree and career options as well. “I looked it up when I was in the fifth grade and since it's so far from my house, since I live in Windermere, it was starting to look farther and farther away from an opportunity,” said Alexis Garcia, a sophomore in the vet magnet program at Colonial High. The magnet programs provide school choice to parents and students. Garcia says she considers herself lucky because the 45-minute commute from home to school for the vet magnet program is made convenient with her mother working right around the corner. In the vet magnet program at Colonial High, students learn through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on activities and a lot of responsibility. Before you get to the classroom, you'll likely come across a 120-pound gopher tortoise roaming the hallway. His name is Gigantor and the students are his caretakers. Out back is where students keep pigs, goats, alpaca's, sheep, snakes and several species of plants. The students work alongside their program coordinator and teacher, Timothy App, learning how to raise, breed and care for their animals. “It gives them the opportunity to look at what some of the different career options are for them to study and pursue so they can make an educated choice while they're in high school and they're not trying to make that choice while they're in college,” said App. Copyright 2014 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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October 2021
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