York presenters highlight college, career and military readiness programs at May 19 school board meeting

York County School Board members heard student and program presentations May 19 that illustrated how the division’s college, career and military readiness pathways prepare graduates for next steps after high school.

The presentations — part of the meeting’s "Accent on Academics" segment — featured a 2024 International Baccalaureate graduate, a New Horizons career-and-technical program alumnus and a former TAB High School JROTC student who is now in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech.

The program’s nut graf: board members said the session was intended to show how division partnerships and in-school programs support the state’s 3E readiness framework (enlistment, employment and enrollment) and give students opportunities to earn college credit or industry credentials while still in high school.

Madison Caldwell, a 2024 graduate of York High School’s IB program who just finished her first year at the University of Virginia, told the board the program helped her manage time and complete long research projects. “It allowed me to practice managing my time and staying up to date with deadlines on projects and homeworks similar to the extended essay and internal assessments,” Caldwell said.

Alexander Goodman, a Grafton High graduate who attended New Horizons Regional Career and Technical Education Center, described hands-on trade training in electrical and plumbing and credited the Good Life Solutions program with helping him secure a job after high school. “I walked away from each class with more confidence and a clear idea of the career I wanted to pursue,” Goodman said.

Nathaniel Virgil Fenluis, a 2022 TAB High graduate and a rising senior studying aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech, described leadership and community service experience gained in the school’s Navy JROTC program. He said the program’s competitions and daily training taught “never give up, never quit, change adapt and overcome,” lessons he said have transferred into college life.

Board members followed with questions about program outcomes and employment. In response to a question about post‑graduation employment, Goodman said he is employed by IBEW Local 1340 and remains in that job after completing New Horizons coursework.

Presenters and board members emphasized that the division offers multiple pathways — dual enrollment with Virginia Peninsula Community College, AP courses (including a new AP Research course), an International Baccalaureate program at York High School, 57 CTE courses across middle and high schools and 29 courses through New Horizons — designed to let students earn postsecondary credit or credentials while in high school.

The segment closed with board members thanking the former students for returning to speak; no formal board action was taken during the presentation.