L-P Business Academy expands horizons, as students gain pathway to career experiences

Academy membership open to students in grades 10-12

By Terry Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

Monday evening at the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education session, attendees learned more about the Lewiston-Porter Academy of Business and Finance – a relatively new program at Lewiston-Porter High School.

Best described as a school-within-a-school approach, the Academy has its focus squarely on business. It is geared to providing students the knowledge and skills to give them a distinct advantage as they plan their future academic and professional careers.

“The Academy of Business and Finance is designed for students who seek to broaden their knowledge in the vital areas of business and finance,” noted the district website (www.lew-port.com). “It is meant to be a challenging and rewarding program for those who are interested in a unique educational experience.”

The Academy is a member of the NAF Be Future Ready program. Students participate in “career-focused curricula that incorporate current industry standards and practices, project-based learning, and performance-based assessment. NAF empowers teachers to expand the classroom boundaries by exposing students to real-world issues in career-focused industries through connections with industry professionals and the business community,” stated the NAF website (www.naf.org).  

The Lew-Port Academy takes that a step further, by means of establishing partnerships with the business community and enabling students to have real-world work experiences in various career fields. The options may range from medical to tech, entertainment and the arts to engineering, government to education fields.

“This is a program Lewiston-Porter is lucky to have. It gives students an option, a pathway,” Lewiston-Porter High School Principal Christopher D’Anna said in his remarks to BOE members, district administrators, and residents.

The Academy operates under the direction of Lew-Port business instructors Brian Hall and Nicole Krawczyk, with a number of advisory board members representing various business interests in Buffalo-Niagara. It is open to qualifying high school students in grades 10 through senior year. Currently, there are 33 students enrolled.

“Mr. Hall and Nicole Krawczyk took this over this year and they’ve done an outstanding job with recruiting students, with programming, fundraisers, field trips. I’m really excited about the progression that they’re going to take the Academy,” D’Anna said. “It’s an amazing thing to see – it’s a partnership with the school and also the community.”

Hall expanded on that concept of partnership as he, along with six student members, appeared before the BOE and administrators to discuss the benefits of the Academy experience.

These include visits to area colleges, intended to provide students “an idea of what college life is like,” one Academy student said. Another opportunity was the first Academy career fair last year. “This allowed us to have one-on-one time with professionals in many different careers.”

“One benefit of the Academy … it really allowed me the opportunity to present myself in a professional setting,” commented another student. “I was able to talk with board members and received helpful feedback for future interviews. It was real professional – something that you wouldn’t get without a Business Academy. It’s really like a real-world experience.”

Enrollment in this program is open to students who meet the qualifying academic criteria. Interested parents and students are encouraged to contact Hall directly via email at [email protected].

For more information, visit the Academy link found on the high school page at www.lew-port.com.