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Students say Johnston County’s Ideal Academy builds career pathways and soft skills

Johnston County Public Schools · January 14, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Students and presenters described the Ideal Academy at South Johnston High School as a hands-on choice program offering internships, college credit through University of Mount Olive access and workplace preparation; students called the program "a family" and credited it with expanding post‑graduation options.

The Ideal Academy at South Johnston High School gives students a focused pathway into agricultural and environmental studies while offering internships and college-credit opportunities that many said prepared them for work and further education. Speaker 1, a program presenter, said the academy lets students "dip their toes into all the different aspects of agriculture and environmental studies" and complete internships that can lead directly to jobs after graduation.

Students and presenters described a range of postsecondary options tied to the program. Speaker 1 highlighted a recent graduate who completed a Caterpillar internship and earned an associate degree through the University of Mount Olive, then moved into employment opportunities using that credential. Speaker 2 said Ideal Academy students have access to UMO services — "the writing center, the counseling center, the academic resources center" — and are treated the same as other University of Mount Olive students.

Current and former students emphasized that the program’s blended, hands-on approach helps them discover interests and build employable skills. "It's a family," Speaker 3 said, adding that taking the same classes across high school builds close relationships with peers and teachers. Speaker 6 described interdisciplinary projects — for example, reading A Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in English and spending a week building windmills — as memorable, practical experiences that differ from standard classroom work. Speaker 7, who serves as an ambassador, said outreach events helped them grow confidence and public-speaking skills while recruiting peers to the program.

Program presenters said the Ideal Academy supports multiple pathways: students can pursue associate or bachelor’s degrees, community-college certifications, or enter the workforce with credentials and internships gained in the program. The presenters and students framed the academy as a combination of technical training, academic credit opportunities and leadership development.

The district did not provide numerical counts of program graduates, internship placements, or the full list of employer partners in the audio excerpts.