WBL gives students more time in the day to work while also earning credits. If they work 10 or more hours a week, no matter the job, they can have two periods per quarter instead of the usual three minimum. If they work 75 hours in a quarter or more, they get 5 credits. 

There is never a cap for people in WBL meaning they can join at any point during the year as well.

WBL also offers easy access to apprenticeships and internships that will give them a more unique work experience than a typical teenage job. There are opportunities in the medical field, technology industry, construction, and many more. 

The benefits do not end there. Terra Thiebaut is the WBL Coordinator for Fossil and she helps students in all aspects of the work-based learning experience. 

“I’m very flexible on meeting with students and I try to make everything work,” says Thiebaut.

There are always jobs available and broadcasted on the TV’s around the school or students can check Xello if they navigate to the “Explore” tab and click “View Opportunities”. Students are also free to find their own job opportunities.

Anyone can email Thiebaut or walk into the WBL office right next to the College and Career Center in the Commons to ask for any work-based help they may need.

Thiebaut encourages students to try WBL to find what they do and do not like in a field of work.

“It’s great to try things and figure out ‘this is not what I want to do’ or ‘this is not what I thought it was’ and cross it off your list while you’re in high school.”

There is a WBL information night on Monday, February 26 from 6-8pm at the new PSD Future Ready Center at the Foothills Mall.

“Futures Lab is a half-day career pathway program for all PSD high school students that blurs the lines between high school, college, and career,” says Kelby Benedict, Futures Lab Director.

Futures Lab offers focused, hands-on classes on specified interests such as Audio Production, Behavioral Health, and even Aviation. Half of a student’s day is at Fossil and the rest is at the Futures Lab building at Poudre High School.

Depending on the pathway, students have the opportunity to earn college credit, industry certifications, and network; making the student a prime candidate for their career path. Classes are also much more fluid at Futures Lab, offering an educational experience that focuses on skill acquisition rather than test scores.

Transportation is even offered if a student needs it to and from Fossil to the Futures Lab building. Priority registration goes through the first week of March, past that students are more likely to be put on a waiting list, so those interested in any of these paths should apply soon.

Students wanting to join one of the courses for the ‘24-’25 school year, check out the Futures Lab Course Catalog and fill out the Interest Form. The Futures Lab counselor Bethany Condon is also available at [email protected]. If there are other questions, contact your school counselor.

College credit is offered in school, but students can take more specialized classes using Campus Select. They can take almost any class offered at Front Range Community College (FRCC) or AIMS community college at their campus and Poudre School District (PSD) will pay for tuition, all textbooks, and class fees.

There are eligibility requirements for this program. The amount of campus select credits students take changes with their grade level and they can not take a class on a college campus if it is already offered through Futures Lab or Fossil. Students will also need to provide their own transportation to the community colleges.

The AIMS fall class schedule is released Monday, March 4 and the FRCC schedule is released Wednesday, March 6. In order for PSD to pay for students classes there are specific sets of instructions they need to follow, including filling out a class request form with the exact class name and number they wish to take.

There are many people to contact for information on Concurrent Enrollment (CE);  schedule an appointment with Gaby Tabor, the FRCC CE representative; contact Kristen Besanceney, the PSD CE Coordinator at [email protected]; contact [email protected] for AIMS class help; or fill out this form. Students should also schedule an appointment with their school counselor.

ASCENT is one year of paid schooling at Front Range Community College (FRCC) by PSD after graduation. This is a great way to start a degree and save money as most freshman classes are Guaranteed Transfer credits for Colorado schools. This also allows students to take more time trying new classes before starting college. Another great way to utilize this option is if students start working towards an associate degree as a senior and finish it with the ASCENT program, leaving them with a degree just a year out of high school.

For this program, students will walk with their class at graduation but will not receive their diploma until after the program is complete. By remaining classified as a student under PSD,  the district can pay for their “5th year of high school”. 

Application for this program happens during senior year and the deadline is Friday, April 5, 2024. A primary requirement is students are graduating on time, not early or late, and already have 9 college credits by the time they finish their senior year. For more information look at the ASCENT webpage and talk to a counselor.

This program is a more specified two-year version of the ASCENT Program designed for future educators. Students take classes at FRCC or Metro State University to get either an associate degree in the area of being an educator or to transfer to a four-year university to complete an undergraduate degree. As with the ASCENT Program, student’s education will all be covered by PSD. 

Students are eligible for this program if they are graduating on time and have completed one 3-credit college course from the educator pathway by the time they finish their senior year. If they meet these requirements and apply, they will be accepted. As with ASCENT, they will walk with their class but will not officially receive their diploma until they are done with TREP.

To those interested, visit the TREP website for more information and follow the two easy steps to apply. As with the other options, students should talk to their counselor for more information before applying. The deadline is Monday, April 5, 2024.

JROTC is a brand new program at PSD that started in the fall of 2023. As the name suggests, this program allows students to get military training and experience while in high school. Students will take most of their classes at Fossil but travel to Poudre High School throughout the week for different activities. 

Since this is not a class, student’s day-to-day will be different. 

“We have class time, outdoor adventure work, drill and ceremony, and other duties and tasks to maintain the program,” says Sgt. Scott Johns, the JROTC Army instructor.

Since JROTC is recognized as a CTE pathway in Colorado, students will have a plethora of opportunities to earn credits not only towards their high school diploma but college as well.

“Between the variety of credit and our co-curricular activities, students find they gain much more than just credit from participating in our program,” says Sgt. Johns.

The JROTC website is still being built, but there is information on more of the specifics to see if this is a good fit. Interested students can also email Sgt. Johns at [email protected].