Press release
The Western New York Tech Academy is an Early College High School (P-TECH) that serves 13 regional school districts in Western New York. The school offers a curriculum that emphasizes college level coursework and unique learning opportunities to prepare students for high-skill, financially stable careers in growth industries. Students attending the academy can complete all necessary coursework for a high school diploma and also earn an Associate of Applied Science degree through Genesee Community College.
The Tech Academy created Einstein Days which occur monthly and vary in theme to provide students a variety of unique learning opportunities. So far this year, students have engaged with peers across all grade levels in topics like business, mindfulness, volunteer work, and STEM.
“Einstein days are important for our program and students because they offer a full day for students to immerse themselves in team building, STEM activities and exposure to Work Based Learning opportunities. These three areas are a major focus for our school culture. Einstein Days are offered one to two times per month for full days so we can devote our efforts in fostering the importance of that work. It provides students with project based STEM experiences, exposure to our business and industry partners and the career pathways they offer. And each Einstein Day has an element of fun, collaboration and team play so students bond as a tight school community,” stated Catherine Bennett, Principal of The Western New York Tech Academy.
On Einstein Day, regularly scheduled classes are on hold and students participate in a variety of different lessons that range from career development to STEM to team building. Through collaboration across courses and grade levels, students develop highly sought after employability skills such as effective communication, creativity, problem-solving teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution.
“What do students get out of this event? Well, students will tell you they get a fun day off from classes. What they really are getting is workplace readiness skills. Our students engage in critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. They have to develop communication skills, collaboration, leadership, and social skills to work effectively as a group. They have to think, be innovative, show confidence, and even a little competitiveness! These are all traits that employers in any industry would look for in potential new hires. You can train for technical skills. The ability to resolve conflict, work effectively with others, take direction, show initiative… those things aren’t as easy to develop on the job,” explained Teacher Lindsay Warner.
The March Madness Einstein days will be held over a two day event. Over two days, in teams of five, students will develop a Ptech Pitch. This pitch is a five to eight minute presentation pitching the WNY Tech Academy to a panel of qualified judges. They will have the first March Einstein day to research, plan, strategize, and develop their pitch marketing materials. On Friday, March 31, they will present their pitches to judges for scoring, and ultimately a first prize winner will be chosen. This event taps skills in public speaking, marketing and social media, and entrepreneurship!
While teams are presenting their pitch to the judges, the remaining teams will be participating in a March Madness competition, competing in various games, puzzles, problems throughout our wing, earning points to supplement their pitch scores. At the end of the event a winning team will succeed as the March Madness winner.
Senior David Tetreault from Caledonia Mumford Central Schools explained how Einstein Days are preparing students for their future. “Einstein day isn’t just a normal day at Tech Academy. It builds us young adults to communicate, value team bonding and most importantly, leading by example. These days make us prepare for proper management, communicating and how to be amazing workers. I couldn’t even imagine a better way to do this. Taking one day out of the month to bring everyone together and put it into a fun-filled, learning environment is the most important and perfect way to do it,” said David.