Among the many things expected with the Fall 2026 consolidation of Christian County’s and Hopkinsville’s high schools into a heartfelt academy model will also include the return of several student-led public services.
Services that will offer hands-on learning experiences, while helping local citizens.
In a visit with the Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club Thursday, Superintendent Chris Bentzel and District Technology Director Dr. Jason Wilson confirmed that this would at least involve tasks like oil changes and tire rotations for automotive students, and take-home lunches and dinners from culinary students.
Each learning wing, they said, will have a forward-facing business in which the community can support and purchase goods and services influenced by more than 30 educational pathways.
One reason why this is going to be possible, Bentzel said, is an exploding career and technical education population in Christian County. A decade ago, a re-brand into the Gateway Academy impacted only 220 students from both high schools.
Today, more than 1,400 students attend the local area vocational education center, with no signs of slowing.
In fact, Gateway’s inclusion to the new construction on Fort Campbell Boulevard and Lover’s Lane is being lauded as a major move for students — who, at present date, have to leave their respective campuses and find transportation, losing education time.
The bigger question is whether these academy wings are fluid enough when one graduating class hypothetically loves construction, the next loves teaching, the next loves social work and welfare, and the next loves science and engineering.
Wilson and Bentzel said there are several markers in place to keep the upcoming school’s academies from overcrowding, especially through aptitude testing and master scheduling.
A pair of CCHS seniors and student ambassadors, Aaron Johnson and Myliyah Bradford, shared that they would be attending the University of Louisville in the fall. Johnson will be pursuing a degree in accounting, while Bradford is almost finished with her CNA license and has her eye on nursing.
Neither of them will get to embrace the feel of a new high school campus. However, Johnson said such a facility would have helped him recover lost learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Bradford noted that having Gateway near other course curriculum would have been helpful for her and many of her classmates. She also said she has hopes that the new school offers the same, and more, opportunity for students.
In the immediacy, post-secondary and workforce preparation continues to be key focuses of the district. For the first time ever, students at critical grade levels, especially senior year, are being shepherded through a “Profile of a Graduate” evaluation, which requires the complete review of six integral subsets about one’s academic self.
Bentzel noted that CCPS currently has 21 sophomores enrolled in their Early College Associates Program, which, upon graduation, should have those students walking the stage with an associate’s degree before heading into the KCTCS system, the public or private college sector, or the workforce.
Other important factoids from Thursday’s visit, that paint perspective on the ever-changing district:
— CCPS has further developed its animal science pathway this year, and after beseeching the Hopkinsville City Council, Bentzel said two hogs and a sheep are now located inside the city limits, near the Breathitt Veterinary Center under the care of students. A fixed-wing plane, for aviation mechanics, was also procured this week.
— Combining CCHS and HHS, the high school population is near 2,130. This is smaller than Henderson and McCracken’s high schools, but larger than Marshall County.
— As part of the long-term district facilities plan, Bentzel said upon consolidation, CCHS and HHS will become alternative programs facilities, while Gateway will eventually become the district’s bus and maintenance garage.
— Bentzel also confirmed that international students are joining the district at a record pace, 3-to-5 a month, and from all over the world. Currently more than 100 English as a Second Language learners cover all campuses.