High school academies have become increasingly popular in the past decade, as they push students to explore specific areas of interest. Although being in an academy isn’t mandatory, many students at Jackson-Reed take advantage of the targeted learning opportunity. 

One of JR’s various options is the Engineering Academy, which is popular amongst students as the engineering field can yield many different jobs and is extremely versatile. You want to work in the medical field? There are medical engineers who work on the latest medical technology. You want to work on cars and vehicles? That’s engineering. Freshman Alex Grayson said that he would recommend the academy to, “people who like to build and create.”

One of the first classes to the academy is Introduction to Engineering Design in 9th grade, where students learned about block tower design and were given wooden blocks in varying shapes. In one activity students were told to make a tower as tall as possible that can withstand the table being shaken. Students also made catapults out of rubber bands and popsicle sticks, and launched marshmallows into a cup at the other end of the table. 

Zachary Meyers, the Intro to Engineering Design teacher, said that “the game design unit is the favorite amongst many freshmen since you get to create and build a game that is interactive and assessed by engineers from across the district.” 

After learning basic engineering principles, students take Principles of Engineering in 10th grade. In this course, students work on subjects such as mechanisms, the strength of some materials, and automation. After learning these, students take on tasks such as designing a self-driving car. 

As students progress through the Engineering Academy’s track, In 11th grade, students can choose between two options for classes: Aerospace Engineering or Digital Engineering. In Aerospace Engineering, students learn about the physics of flight, design gliders, and more. In Digital Engineering, students work on circuit design and combinational logic. Concluding the academy in 12th grade, students take Engineering Design and Development.

The Engineering Academy puts students on a pathway for success in college and in their future careers. “Engineering offers a variety of experiences with different skills that allow students to create, implement, and test ideas,” concluded Meyers. •