A new addition to Poudre School District was recently added known as Futures Lab. Many students and staff are completely unaware of the lab’s many benefits and even its existence. As many students at Fossil Ridge High School are still in search of their path after their quick four years here, they also are ignorant of the many ways to discover the limitless opportunities the world has to offer.

For those who have a passion or a dream, the lab will also be perfect for them as they offer over 10, specialized career-oriented classes otherwise known as pathways. These pathways range from Natural Resource Management to Audio Production Management to Networking and Cyber Security to even Aviation.

The staff and students at the lab are all very passionate about the pathways offered as every single one of them always has only positive things to say.

One student, Andrew Ostojic, stated how the lab “combines all types of unique and different people from all schools around the district who all have the same or a similar passion,” Ostojic went on to further explain how he “loves how Futures Lab has such a different environment… and learning style than traditional high schools,” The uniqueness of the different learning environment and styles the lab has to offer has become a common trend throughout the many people who work and learn there.

The teachers and staff at the lab try their absolute best to stray away from the traditional learning style of schools.
Nicholas Chambers, the aviation pathway lead, explained how “many young people are burnt out by school… in the sense of going to math for 60 minutes, and then going to english for 60 minutes, and then going to history for 60 minutes,” Chambers proceeds to say how “teachers want students to be thoughtful and creative, but a lot of those classes tend to lack creativity like most 21st century schools.” Since the lab is focused on straying away from this exact setting, they “have the capacity to do more projects, lean less heavily on what kids find ‘boring’… like doing 20 problems out of a textbook and do work that matters and is interesting.”

The ability to pursue meaningful work to the students at the lab is important to the staff as stated by Desneige Hallbert, the design/build pathway lead, who explained how you can “pursue something you want to learn about,” rather than the broader subjects at traditional high schools.

She also explained how “the smaller space allows students to just roam around… it’s their space to use.”
As most students question what they want to do, the lab provides the ability to learn and hear from professionals in that industry as most of the teachers previously worked in those fields. Hallbert previously worked as a landscape architect and now enjoys “teaching passionate students what she knows from that industry because that’s what kids want to know.”

As many freshmen, sophomores and juniors prepare for next year, they should consider taking classes at the lab. Finding a passion is always exciting and never out of the picture. Classes where the students and staff are just as passionate as you are creates a learning experience and environment that is infinitely better than a traditional classroom.