DCTS offers career and technical education, preparing students with real-life experience for potential future careers or setting them up for college.
The tech school has two main campuses in Aston and Folcroft, where students from multiple schools, such as Strath Haven, can choose from one of their 22 programs.
DCTS offers programs such as health sciences, welding, cosmetology, carpentry, and numerous others, preparing students for careers after high school, tailored to every student’s interests and opens pathways for all.
“If you start in 10th grade and you go all the way through [and get] certified, you have certifications to go out into the workforce as soon as you graduate,” career and college counselor Mrs. Kristin Dunning said. “We also have lots of students who go to the tech school, who graduate from high school and go on to college to continue their study in these fields.”
Often, DCTS offers a more advanced and technical version of classes you can take at the high school, giving a hands-on aspect to what a student is specifically interested in.
“I go to the Teacher Presentation Academy, I really like it just because I took the childhood classes here,” senior Jordyn Thurmond said. “I like teacher prep more so in the fact that it teaches a broader age.”
DCTS programs offer an in-depth and complex look at real-life jobs. Senior Paula Hagan, a student in the Medical Career program, describes the clinicals and medical rotations they perform to gain experience.
“We are paired with a doctor or nurse, and we just get to follow them around, help them with anything. We also get to interact with patients,” Hagan said. “We went to a lab and we were able to take blood samples. It’s really cool to see how that works.”
Students can either have an a.m. or p.m. schedule. Students who have the a.m. schedule get on the bus to their campus as soon as they get to school. First and second blocks are spent at the tech school. For p.m. schedule students, their tech school blocks are during third and fourth blocks. The Medical Career program is just fourth block. While tech school can be an enriching opportunity, attending can also be a large commitment when it comes to scheduling and time.
“Because of the new hospital that we changed to, it’s a little further than it usually is. We have to leave our third block 20 minutes early, so I have to miss 20 minutes of my third block every day,” Hagan said. “And then we also have to eat lunch on the bus. That’s kind of annoying sometimes.”
Tech school students who have two blocks of their program every day give up four blocks for each year they attend. They can miss out on taking electives at the high school.
“I do wish I could have electives because sometimes teacher prep can be a little intense,” Thurmond said. “With our writing assignments, it’s intensity, intensity, intensity and then coming back to school it’s core class, core class. And that’s just my entire day.”
As well as taking up blocks that would be filled with electives, students may not get the opportunity to take certain classes.
“Since med careers is fourth block for the whole year, I can’t take any AP language classes because they’re always fourth block,” Hagan said.
Despite having to make some sacrifices, attending DCTS can be an interesting experience for many, with a different environment than regular high school.
“I like seeing the different school cultures. And I think it goes to show that we’re neighbors but we don’t really know anything about each other,” Thurmond said.
However, applying to DCTS does not force students to attend, and the application process is relatively simple. Some programs, like the Medical Careers program, might be more academically rigorous and selective, but many are accessible and open to beginners.
“It’s fairly simple to apply. And even if you apply and get in, you don’t have to go,” Hagan said. “It’s better to just apply and then drop it later.”
If you are interested in applying to DCTS, applications are open until February 28. If you have any interest in the programs available, information is available on the DCIU website.
“And for people who don’t love sitting in classrooms, this is a fantastic opportunity to shake up your day and do more hands-on learning,” Dunning said.
