CHAMPION — Career centers traditionally have been a place for juniors and seniors to learn and gain skills in career fields, but a new program planned for the 2022-23 academic year also will allow freshmen to begin spending time at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center.

TCTC has unveiled plans for the Early Innovators Academy, which will open in fall of 2022 and will accept 50 ninth-grade students for the 2022-23 school year.

Superintendent Jason Gray said the academy will offer project-based career exploration courses for ninth- and 10th-graders. Instruction will concentrate on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

TCTC Director Paula Baco said the Early Innovators Academy will accept students from all 20 partner school districts. Acceptance will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis, and enrollment will open in early December.

Baco said students who attend TCTC and its Early Innovators Academy remain a student of their home school district, allowing for continued participation in extracurricular activities, sports and events, which is encouraged.

Debra Davis, a TCTC board member representing Newton Falls, said eighth-graders will see the school this month for career day visits and then some can decide if they want to be part of the Early Innovators Academy

“This is a new opportunity for next year’s ninth-grade class. They can learn and be part of STEM. It is an all-day program,” Davis said.

She said 250 to 300 families are interested in this.

“In education, you have to be ready for anything,” Davis said.

If more than the allotted 50 slots are requested, a drawing will be held.

Baco said the new program is not classified as a gifted program with the Ohio Department of Education, and is open to any freshman interested.

“The students have expectations of what they will do in the program. It is not labeled as gifted, but a career tech program,” she said.

The first year is open only to ninth-graders, but in the 2023-24 year, they will stay at the school as sophomores and a new freshmen group will begin.

A former cosmetology lab is being made into the academy’s room on the center’s first floor.

“Innovation is at the forefront of career and technical education, and we are constantly looking for ways to ensure student success now and after graduation. The academy will allow us to expose students at a younger age to the instructional methods offered at a career-technical school. With the introduction of this academy, ninth- and 10th-grade students will receive practical, hands-on learning experiences that align with the demands of the future economy. These learning opportunities will ultimately help students develop a greater understanding of where their professional interest areas lie,” Gray said.

For information, visit tctchome.com/page/early-innovators-academy.