BY DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ

david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com

 

Warren County Public Schools has confirmed academies, pathways and other details for its upcoming 180,000-square-foot IMPACT Center for Leadership and Innovation. Center Principal Cody Rich presented them at Thursday’s WCPS Board of Education meeting.

Once open in fall 2026, it’ll accept full-time students for seventh through ninth grade, with specialized programming for 10th to 12th graders based on their interest. It’ll enroll a new seventh-grade class annually until the center has full-time students enrolled in grades seven through 12.

It will base student enrollment 70% on a lottery and 30% on merit/applications, the latter accounting for “grades, attendance, behavior, teacher recommendations, leadership & extracurricular activities, and essay questions,” according to a district flyer. WCPS will automatically enter into the lottery the applicants who aren’t selected based on merit.

All students who attend the IMPACT Center full time for four years will earn the FranklinCovey Model School for Leadership Development’s eight micro-credentials. They’ll obtain the organization’s Life-Ready leadership certificate, which is recognized by businesses and industries internationally, according to WCPS.

“We’re starting to get a look of what those spaces may look like, and then with programming, that’s coming along well too,” Rich said, pointing to the identified pathways. “Now, we just have to work on putting the classes together, how we’re going to get certifications, what we’re going to offer extracurricularly as programming for those things — such as FIRST Robotics Competition, rocketry, what competitions or teams are going to be tied to each of those pathways, and then some other things, such as how we’re going to run our maker-space and design shop.”

These are the academies and their pathways:

• AI & Cyber Systems: artificial intelligence, cyber security, data science and network administration.
• Aeronautics: aerospace engineering, pilot, and unmanned aircraft systems (drones).
• Biomedical Innovation: biomedical sciences, phlebotomy technician, pre-nursing and clinical medical assistant
• Design, Enterprise & Visionary Arts: cinematography & video production, management & entrepreneurship, and graphic design.
• Robotics & Advanced Systems: electrical/electronics engineering, precision machining, additive manufacturing, and automation.

WCPS condensed the previous, tentatively planned Industrial Design and Fabrication academy and its pathways into the confirmed academies, Rich said.

Besides FranklinCovey, partners include the New Tech Network, IBM, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses and advisory committees, according to WCPS.

Also:

The WCPS Board of Education approved the proposed redistricting plan. WCPS Chief Operations Officer Chris McIntyre said it passed without changes.