NexTech Academy at Goodwin University
“I am excited to offer this opportunity to scholars who are vested in technology and passionate about making a difference in established and
emerging industries. This is just the beginning for NexTech Academy. We are technology-driven and future-focused. While some may say the sky is the limit, our scholars will say space has no limits.”
– Dr. Salvatore Menzo, Superintendent of Goodwin University Magnet School System
Introducing the first technical magnet school in the state, NexTech Academy at Goodwin University!
At NexTech Academy, classes will consist of eighteen to twenty students. There will be approximately seventy-two scholars in each grade (freshman through senior year). Students will be enrolled in classes that meet the Connecticut State Graduation Requirements while offering them a unique curricular experience in the many existing and emerging technologies and professions in the state. With business and entrepreneurialism at the core of their curriculum, students will explore a variety of technology industries. In this unique environment, students will apply their learning to real-world community based problems collaborating with Connecticut industry leaders. As they progress through each year in high school, they will design and build solutions. As a result, paid internships and apprenticeships will be provided to the students while developing their future ready skills. This high school will be in direct support of the effort of the Governor’s Workforce Council and the workforce boards across the state.
Small instructional spaces for speciality services like speech and language, social worker, psychologist, and special education will be provided. In addition, NexTech Academy will also include a library, theater, and gymnasium. There will also be a cafeteria that will also be used as a large meeting space for family education nights and exhibition events at which the students present their work to state-wide business partners. Lastly, NexTech Academy will boast an astronaut training center as part of a partnership with the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) in Melbourne, Victoria Australia. Students will apply technical science and core content learning to a virtual mission to Mars.
The school will have four focus areas and a central theme that is evident in all parts of the curriculum. This design will be like spokes and hub of a wagon wheel, whereas the focus areas are the spokes and the essential workplace skills are at the hub. These reflect the skills that students will need in order to be future ready and enter into Industry 5.0. Each of these areas will require a classroom/lab space that is equipped with the proper equipment.
Join us for an Information Session. You can pre-register to attend an Information Session here.
We will be holding the sessions in the Community Room at Goodwin University, 1 Riverside Dr, East Hartford, CT 06118.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 from 6-7 p.m.
Thursday, December 5, 2024 from 6-7 p.m.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 6-7 p.m.
Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 6-7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 from 6-7 p.m.
Prospective scholars can start their applications at chooseyourschool.org beginning on December 3, 2024 and offers will be made in the spring of 2025. For more information about NexTech Academy, please contact Career and Technical Education Director, Anja Pennell at apennell@goodwinmagnetsystem.org.