In June, the CECI BCPS Educational Transformation team engaged with students from Battle Creek Central High School (BCCHS) on two college and career readiness experiences. All activities were made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

BCCHS AP Biology at the GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI)
Lexus Baxendale, CECI alumna who started her BCCHS career as a teacher intern, is currently serving as the Head of the BCCHS Science Department. Ms. Baxendale worked with Dr. Amanda Syers, senior education specialist at AWRI and CECI alumna, to develop a pre-visit lesson around water quality in the Kalamazoo River to prepare the students for their AWRI visit. While on the research vessel the W.G. Jackson, BC students performed a comparative analysis of the water quality and environmental indicators between Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan. They met current undergraduate GVSU students doing research at the AWRI and discussed majors and career goals.

Excel Exploration on GVSU City Campuses
BCCHS rising seniors explored the GVSU City campuses. Students had the opportunity to choose an in-depth visit to the Padnos College of Engineering on the GVSU City Campus - Pew or the College of Health Professions and Kirkhof College of Nursing on the GVSU City Campus - Health. Time was spent learning about career options, as well as touring the simulation and manufacturing laboratories and specialized study spaces. The group lunched at Seidman Center College of Business where they met with Shorouq Almallah, Director of the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) in the Seidman College of Business, and visited the Financial Simulation lab set up to mimic a trading floor.

After a conversation with GVSU Admissions, the students met colleagues at our community partner, the John Ball Zoo, who introduced them to the behind-the-scenes infrastructure required to house the pygmy hippos. The day had a backbone team of GVSU student counselors, including five BCCHS graduates and a Graduate Assistant who had done their student internship in BCPS. The familiarity and transparency about the transition between secondary to college made the Bearcats feel welcome, and the opportunity for our students to give back to their community was extremely motivating for everyone.