Appleton Technical Academy, more commonly known as ATECH, is a public

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

with a focus on developing the skills necessary for successful entry into the modern advanced manufacturing workforce. The school was created as a result of the growing number of manufacturing jobs that need to be filled in Wisconsin, as baby boomers retire. The school was established at the end of 2013 and the first day of classes was on . In the first three years of operation the school reported giving out over 250 college credits. The school gives students the ability to earn up to 24 college credits at the nearby

Fox Valley Technical College Fox Valley Technical College (Fox Valley Tech or FVTC) is a public technical college in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. It is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System and serves people in the Appleton, Wisconsin/ Fox Cities area. It serve ...

which can be transferred to a 4-year college. This results in the student saving money on tuition as well as completing the first 8 months of most programs while still being in high school. ATECH is a part-time school for ninth and tenth graders and a full-time school for 11th and 12th graders. 11th and 12th graders pick a focus area depending on their interests, including welding, machining, automated manufacturing, and mechanical design.

History

The idea of the school came when Jared Bailin, the president of Eagle Plastics came to Greg Hartjes with the concern that there was a need for people to fill jobs, but also develop the skills needed to successfully work in the shop environment daily; a planning board was formed shortly after. The board was given a grant shortly after its formation to plan the school by the .

Shop renovation

In the summer of 2014, a referendum was passed by the

Appleton Area School District The Appleton Area School District, also known as AASD, is a school district that serves Appleton and Grand Chute, Wisconsin. Situated in the heart of the Fox River Valley of northeast Wisconsin, the AASD serves the city of Appleton and its nearl ...

, providing funding to renovate many of their buildings with much of this being contributed to remodeling the shops at

Appleton West High School Appleton West High School (or AWHS, formerly known as Appleton Senior High School or Appleton High School) is a comprehensive public secondary school located in Appleton, Wisconsin that serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades. The ...

. As part of the renovations, the whole Tech-Ed wing was gutted completely and rebuilt. New equipment was purchased that resembles the equipment widely found out in the workforce.

Typical schedule

The typical day at ATech consists of nine periods, the amount of time spent in the charter depends on grade level. ATech Junior Schedule

Awards

On October 21, 2015, the school was presented the "Brighter Image" Award by the NEW Manufacturing Alliance. The Brighter Image is presented for excellence in manufacturing/K12 partnerships.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control High schools in Appleton, Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 2013 2013 establishments in Wisconsin Public high schools in Wisconsin