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Shakopee High School highlights academies, partnerships and new teacher externship grant
Summary
Principal Chuck Pulicky and academy staff presented data and partnerships tied to the school’s academy model, highlighted a United Way‑funded teacher externship and said the district will implement SchoolLinks to track college-and-career ready portfolios and alumni outcomes.
Shakopee High School Principal Chuck Pulicky and academy staff told the school board on June 9 that the academy model — launched when the high school became grades 9–12 in 2018 — continues to expand industry partnerships, improve graduation-rate trends and deepen career‑focused learning opportunities.
Pulicky said the academy structure embeds weekly systems and steering‑committee work that connect students with industry tours, internships, academy ambassadors and college‑and‑career supports. He showed enrollment and graduation trends and said steering‑committee goals now include increasing four‑year graduation rates and embedding graduate‑profile skills such as resilience and collaboration into coursework.
Why it matters: the academy model aims to align classroom learning with local industry needs and to provide sustained employer and community engagement. Staff noted several external partners and foundation support that have financed certifications in engineering, manufacturing and health sciences, and described alumni feedback and steering‑committee work to make programming more reflective of post‑graduation needs.
New initiatives and grants: staff said an academy coach secured United Way funding for a teacher externship this summer that will place teachers with local businesses for four days of hands‑on exposure to industry operations. Pulicky and academy staff also said the district is adopting SchoolLinks, a platform intended to document student portfolios, track college-and-career readiness and provide alumni follow‑up after graduation.
Student voice and recognition: a student speaker described FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) opportunities and said receiving the Laurie Henry Memorial Scholarship covered travel and lodging for events tied to the program. Pulicky and board members said the academy model regularly attracts visits from other schools and that the district hosts midyear and May steering‑committee meetings with staff, business partners and occasional state representatives.
Next steps: academy staff will roll out SchoolLinks to better capture alumni outcomes and continue partnerships and teacher externships this summer. The board received the presentation for information.
