ALPENA — Next week is career week at Alpena High School and there are different activities planned throughout the week for students to help them schedule classes for next school year.

“It’s a new process and something that is different from last year,” AHS Assistant Principal Romeo Bourdage said. “In the past, our counselors have just gone to classrooms and give students materials to take home, talk to their parents and then come back, and that’s why we get our numbers for staffing for the next school year.”

Bourdage said this year the school wants to put more ownership on students to investigate careers, start looking at who they need to talk to, and teachers will have to investigate their career fields and understand how important that is.

“The full week is going to be broken down into items for students to work with,” he said.

Monday is an advisory day where students will start completing a four-year plan and have time to start their scheduling worksheet. It’s also an opportunity for parents to talk with their kids, learn careers and start career options.

Tuesday will be another advisory day and students will continue the completion of their four-year plan, scheduling worksheets, and continue discussions about careers.

On Wednesday, students will learn more about classes from teachers during classes.

“All of our teachers every hour will dedicate 10 minutes to explain their courses, where kids should go next, and have discussions about career fields,” Bourdage said. “I’m hoping it takes 10 minutes or even an hour. The kids are monopolizing their need for the teachers to get passionate about what they do.”

Thursday is the course fair where there will be three sections with teachers and students can talk to teachers about courses they’re interested in.

“The course fair is where departments will be in the Commons or the gym and sell their programs to students,” Bourdage said. “Each department will rally behind their teachers with what they have to learn and what they want to teach.”

Bourdage said by hosting the course fair, students will know what classes they are signing up for.

“This puts ownership on the teachers to really sell their program,” he said. “This is an awesome opportunity for our students to really dive in to scheduling, look at careers, really explore in their minds what they want to do, and try to make their choices that important that they can’t change.”

Bourdage said a big thing is that student choices drives the school’s course selection and when the school develops the master schedule, it will based on student requests.

Friday is going to be another advisory day where advisory teachers will review a student’s four-year plan sheet and scheduling worksheet and check it off for the students to take home.

“I’m excited about it and it’s all new for us,” Boudage said. “It’s going to be a good week.”

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.