Central Campus Newsletter

January 2025

A note from AP Kelsie Mouchka

Happy New Year, Central Campus Community!

To all our friends, family, collaborators, and supporters—welcome to an exciting new year at Central Campus! We hope 2025 brings incredible opportunities and joyful experiences for you all. Here at Central Campus, we’re gearing up for an action-packed Spring, including construction competitions, a dazzling Fashion Show, a trip to Fiji, end-of-year celebrations, brand new baby fish, students earning their wings, a Signing Event, and of course, honoring the remarkable Class of 2025 at their graduation. We’re endlessly proud of our students and grateful for their leadership and contributions to our vibrant school community.

What makes Central Campus different? It’s the way we empower students to pursue their passions and follow their unique interests, rather than trying to fit into a predefined mold. Here, students are encouraged to dream big, and our teachers actively support and guide them in turning those dreams into reality. We listen to our students—their ideas, goals, and aspirations—and that creates a culture where great things happen. When students feel heard and supported, they rise to incredible heights, becoming leaders, innovators, and changemakers. That’s the magic of Central Campus.

A perfect example came just last week when we hosted an inspirational speaker who encouraged students to seize every opportunity to change their lives for the better. That speaker? Daniel Leonard—a student who came into my office months ago with a dream I was privileged to hear and support. Stories like Daniel’s remind us that listening to students empowers them to take control of their education, their futures, and their communities. It makes our classrooms more dynamic, our school stronger, and our world brighter.

This year, we invite you to join us in the magic that’s happening here at Central Campus. Whether you’re attending an event, partnering with us, or just cheering us on, your support makes all the difference. We can’t wait to see you soon!

Here’s to a fantastic year,
Kelsie Mouchka

Important Dates

Jan. 16 - 17: NO SCHOOL, PD Days

Jan. 20: NO SCHOOL, MLK Jr. Day

Jan. 21: Second Semester Begins

School Hours: 8:35am – 2:55pm

School Doors Open: 8:00am / School Doors Lock: 3:15pm

School Office Hours: 7:45am – 3:30pm

Central Campus Bell/Bus Schedule

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Attendance Information

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CLASSROOM FEATURE

AQUARIUM SCIENCE

There are approximately 18,000 different species of fishes in the ocean, but only 450 of those species have ever been bred and raised under human care in aquariums. That means that the majority of saltwater fishes that one finds at a pet store or on display at a public aquarium were likely collected from wild populations. As part of an aquacultural conservation effort students in Central Campus Aquarium Science Program are trying to change those statistics.

The Aquarium Science program was started at Central Campus in 2009. These students take care of 120 aquariums on their half of the Marine Sciences lab, where they learn their aquarium skills with hands on experience breeding and raising saltwater fishes from eggs.

Student's work in this process involves: creating and maintaining physical and chemical environments for the parent fish to be "happy", providing the parent fish with proper nutrition to produce healthy eggs, using specialized techniques to collect the nearly invisible eggs one by one, separating the eggs by species, growing live foods of algae and copepods tiny enough to fit in the babies mouths and feed the baby fishes, maintain optimum water quality for the fragile baby fish, and being extremely patient as the fish fry grow slowly into baby fishes.

Students in Aquarium Science have been raising a variety of "easy" clownfish species since 2010. When the program was started it was thought to be nearly impossible to raise other species of marine fish except under the specialized conditions. Students have been working for the past 6 years to build a specialized classroom lab to house the parent fish to condition to spawn them, grow live foods, an intensive care unit to hatch the eggs, and a larval grow out system to raise the fry into real baby fishes.

In the Fall of 2024 all of the students' hard work has started to pay off. Students in Aquarium Science have raised 5 new species of saltwater fishes just this year. They have raised from eggs: Neon Gobies, Lemon Damsel, Yellow Tailed Blue Damsels, Lemon Peel Angelfish, and Orbicularis Batfish.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Hospitality & Tourism Management

What do a cruise ship nurse, a pastry chef, and travel agent have in common? They are all a part of the hospitality industry!

Students in the Hospitality & Tourism Management program can discover careers that let them see the world. They explore opportunities in transportation, accommodation, food & beverage, and attractions while honing their employability skills.

Based on their own interests and strengths, students can apply hospitality knowledge to real world scenarios. They also get creative with projects like pitching hospitality developments and planning dream vacations.

Local partners are key to understanding the hospitality industry. This semester, students heard from several guest speakers involved in travel planning, restaurant management, culinary programs, and more. Outside the classroom, students toured a luxury hotel and a historic event venue. Hospitality & Tourism Management students will leave the classroom ready to pursue an education or career in hospitality or customer service.

Volunteer for Mock Interviews at Central Campus!

Central Campus is excited to host our third annual Mock Interviews, where we help students prepare for their next steps in life by building essential interview skills and boosting their confidence. We’re looking for volunteers to make this event a success!

Signing up is easy—click here. When you arrive, we’ll provide everything you need, including a rubric, questions, pens, and guidance. Each student will have a 15-minute interview, followed by 5 minutes for you to provide helpful feedback that could make all the difference in their future.

Last year, more than 50 volunteers joined us to support our students, and the experience was incredible for everyone involved. Don’t miss this chance to make an impact—sign up today and be part of the magic!

Connect with Central Campus Students at Our Networking and Recruiting Fair!

Hello Central Campus Community,

The start of the second semester brings exciting opportunities for our students as they prepare for life beyond high school. As part of our senior sessions, we’re thrilled to host the Networking and Recruiting Fair (formerly the Hiring Fair) on Tuesday, March 4th —a cornerstone event designed to connect students with potential employers and help launch their futures.

This event provides a unique opportunity for all seniors and interested juniors to engage with businesses, learn about various industries, and apply for summer jobs, internships, part-time, or full-time positions. It’s an incredible chance to build connections, gain insights, and explore career opportunities.

If your business would like to attend this event, please sign up using [this link].

Join us in empowering the next generation and discovering fresh talent for your team!

COUNSELING CORNER

Next Steps in Planning for 2025-26

As we gear up for the 2025-26 school year, here are some important updates regarding seat offers and course planning:

First Round Seat Offers for 2025-26

The first round of Central Campus seat offers was sent to home high school counselors on January 7, 2025. Counselors will communicate these offers to students (in person, via email, or through Teams) and discuss whether they would like to accept or decline the seat.

Once a decision is made, counselors and students will complete the Accept/Decline Link in Infinite Campus to finalize the choice. Deadline to Accept or Decline Seat Offers: January 15, 2025. The link to request seats in the second round will reopen in late January/early February. Stay tuned for more details from your counselor!

Important 2nd Semester Dates

As we begin Semester 2 on January 21, 2025, please keep the following course drop/add deadlines in mind and note that all course changes must be approved by home high school counselors before they take effect.

Key Deadlines for Course Changes:

· Monday, February 3, 2025 – Last day to drop a course without penalty or to add a new course.

· February 4 - February 12, 2025 – Dropped courses will be marked as a “W” on transcripts.

· Starting February 13, 2025 – Dropped courses will be marked as an “F” on transcripts.

Please note that DMACC courses follow a different drop timeline:

· Last day to drop without a "W": February 25, 2025

· Last day to drop with a "W": April 10, 2025

Be sure to stay on top of these deadlines to avoid impacting your transcript. Let us know if you have any questions as you continue planning your academic path. Wishing you a successful start to Semester 2!

John Hickling, School Counselor, Student Last Names A-L, John.Hickling@dmschools.org

Anne Horgen, School Counselor, Student Last Names M-Z, Anne.Horgen@dmschools.org

Mary Moua, Registrar, Mary.Moua@dmschools.org

Melissa Nolte, Counseling Assistant, Melissa.Nolte@dmschools.org

Diana Lovan, Future Ready Coach, Diana.Lovan@dmschools.org

TWO STUDENTS THRIVE IN JOHN DEERE WELDING APPRENTICESHIP

John Deere Works and Central Campus launched a welding apprenticeship partnership in 2021, providing area high school students with hands-on industry experience. Last year, Ajla Dedic from Hoover High School and Luis Gracia from North High School were selected for the program. After completing one year of training at Central Campus, they began full-time employment with John Deere in June 2024, following their junior year.

During the school year, they balance part-time work at John Deere with their academic responsibilities. With guidance from their John Deere mentor, Casey Presnall, Ajla and Luis not only refine their welding skills but also learn about workplace culture and professional expectations.

Ajla appreciates the opportunity to connect with industry professionals, stating, "The people at John Deere are really cool. I have opportunities to expand my classroom learning by meeting professionals in the industry and learning from them." Luis highlights the value of job shadowing days, sharing, "We don't just get to watch the welders; we get to work alongside them, which I thought was really cool and a really good learning experience."

The apprenticeship concludes the summer after their senior year, at which point participants can choose to apply for a permanent role at John Deere or continue their education elsewhere.

WINTER WEATHER CLOSINGS, DELAYS, DISMISSALS

We said hello to some snow flurries last week but hopefully winter is still a little way off. However, it's a good time to review our process for Weather-Related Closings, Delays, and Dismissals. In the event of severe weather, schools will either be closed for the entire day, begin 2 hours later, or be dismissed 2 hours early. Announcements will be made through the local news media, the school district’s website, the school district’s social media pages, and Infinite Campus/Snap! Connect/ParentSquare. Detailed information on school closings due to severe weather is on our website.

THEWEEK@DMPS

Breakfast and Lunch Information

Breakfast and lunch are served at Central Campus. Any student who has a class at Central Campus periods 3 and/or 5, will eat at Central Campus. All other students will eat at their home high school. In addition:

Students may leave the building during their lunch.
Breakfast and/or Lunch may be cancelled if there is a change to the daily schedule because of weather or other unforeseen situations.