On November 9, 205 eighth graders out of around 500 at Ottoson participated in a tour of the Minuteman High School. Minuteman is an “award-winning public regional career technical education high school”, according to its website, with kids coming from the towns of Acton, Arlington, Bolton, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Needham, and Stow. Some folks from the high school came to talk to the eighth graders a few weeks ago about what they’d get out of going to Minuteman, and the field trip was so that people could further look into it.
According to an eighth grader who went on the field trip, students on the trip first went to the gym to find the tour guides and student volunteers for their chosen topics. Then they were taken to the electives they were looking into. Teachers then introduced themselves and Minuteman students who were there to help with the activities as well. They learned about the elective and did an activity relating to it. The anonymous eighth grader said that the high schoolers were very welcoming, but they weren’t adults. They were still kids, swearing and joking around. Minuteman’s emphasis on formality doesn’t mean that immediately every kid there is professional. It’s still a school.
According to the eighth grader who went on the field trip, there are probably certain “types” of kids who should consider going to Minuteman. If students have a clear idea of what they want to do for a job, Minuteman is good for them because it “hones in on your passion” and assists students in learning what they need, says the eighth grader. If someone has less confidence that they know what they want their life to look like, it might be better to go to AHS to get longer to explore possible careers. AHS also will most likely give students a more rounded history and English education.
The purpose of the field trip was to let eighth graders look into the Minuteman High School a little more and see if it was right for them. Hopefully it helped kids do that, and they’ll ultimately get a good education no matter which high school they choose.
