Am Tech Career Academy wins Most Innovative Learning Spaces Award
Amarillo, TX (KVII) — Am Tech Career Academy has been open for less than a year, but it is already receiving national recognition.
Made up of nine different schools and over 30 various career pathways the academy is allowing students to get industry-based certifications for free while still in high school.
Culinary students work with chefs learning how to make things like hamburger buns and bread from scratch. Their E-sports room gives students the opportunity to get involved in individual and team video game competitions.
“When you have students that are so interested in a field, they are leading you you’re not leading them,” Jay Barrett Principal at Am Tech Career Academy said.
Barrett highlighted that passion is what drives their whole operation, and he believes that is one of the reasons the academy recently received the Most Innovative Learning Spaces Award from Tech & Learning Magazine.
“The time and effort that we have put into the design of this place,” Barrett said. “I don’t even want to say outside of the box because we didn’t even have a box to working. Our district really allowed us to really think creatively for the good of your students.”
The skills taught here such as emergency communications will push the students forward but also Amarillo.
“We had a plan to build this place a different way until we reached out to our community, and it was our community that convinced us that we needed certain industries taught here things like HVAC and plumbing and electrical.”
Barrett said the academy is flipping the script on what people think you have to do to be successful.
“I really see the true purpose of education is helping individuals figure out what they want to do with their lives,” Barrett said.
As for the future, Am Tech is continuing to grow. They are beginning to explore artificial intelligence. Next year they will start building electric cars.
