By Matthew Shears
It is sometimes misconceived as not cool, but there are many who do it each year.
At Delta High School, students can take advantage of a program to get out of their typical classroom for part of their day and start their way toward their desired future.
This program involves going to the Muncie Area Career Center (MACC) for three or four periods out of a normal junior or senior student’s day. They work to learn things essential to the field of work they want to pursue.
While at the MACC, students get to choose between several different courses such as dental, construction, graphic design, early childhood, electrical, welding, criminal justice, EMT, health science and automotive tech.
Junior Nash Keesling is doing carpentry at the MACC. He plans to go back next year to continue toward his goal of eventually working in the field of construction as a concrete worker, laying pipe or operating heavy machinery.
At the MACC it’s not the same as a normal student’s day at Delta. It is not all just sitting in a classroom and taking notes and then getting homework.
“You get to learn stuff that you’re actually going to use in life instead of like how to do y=mx+b or whatever,” Keesling said.
While at MACC they also go on trips. Keesling went to the carpentry union where they got to look around and meet people that work in the construction industry.
His field trip to the carpentry union wasn’t the only trip that has happened. Junior Isaac Brewer went to a shooting simulator for the criminal justice course.
“There’s a big screen, you have a laser tag gun and vest, and it runs you through drills going on an active shooter scenario, and you have to decide who’s a good guy, who’s a bad guy and who to shoot,” Brewer said. “They will switch the scenario. One time he’ll pull out a gun, one time he’ll pull out a wallet, and you have to make a quick decision, and I thought that was really cool.”
His instructor, Mr. Jeff Lacey, tells his class about stories of his experiences. Isaac’s favorite story is one where he was the first responder on a bank robbery and pulled over the suspects. He waited for backup and arrested the two robbers.
A normal day for Isaac starts at the MACC at 7:55 a.m. He spends his morning there learning about law enforcement, and if his class is in between units they learn handcuffing, pulling people over, and other things they need to know to be a good enforcer of the law.
Then at 10:30 a.m. he leaves and heads for Delta. His day here is only half as long, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday he can stop before coming to school to get some food or just relax since his first class at Delta on those days starts at 11:18 a.m.
Different things intrigue different students.
“I think students want to get out of the classroom and work with their hands, do things they can actually see and build,” counselor Mr. Roger Spaulding said. “I think a lot of them like to get out of here for three or four periods of the day.”
The MACC is a place that is different from the lives these students live at Delta.
“At the MACC you don’t have your phone out, and it’s a different atmosphere.” junior Ashlynn Sparks said. “There’s more talking than just listening.”
Sparks is in the dental program. As part of that, the class went to a cadaver lab to watch a body get cut open.
“I expected (the MACC) to be more of a college setting like sitting there listening to lectures, but it’s more collaborative talking to everybody and is more hands on.” Sparks said.
People may think that the MACC is just something that gets students to start quicker in the working world, but it is also a place where students can make great friends and have a good early college experience before leaving high school.
It also gives those students a head start to life.