Poudre School District’s Ella Maroni will have graduated from Front Range Community College twice – both times with associate degrees – before she earns her high school diploma from Fossil Ridge High School in May. She also has two summer internships to her credit and started a peer tutoring program for middle and high school students that meets in the new Future Ready Center at The Shops at Foothills mall.
“Without Future Ready and the opportunities that they have provided with community partnerships, I would not have been able to achieve my academic and professional goals,” Maroni said Nov. 8 at the grand opening of the Future Ready Center.
The center will be a community hub for student learning and exploration, information, programs, meetings, and events highlighting PSD Future Ready programming, which encompasses the many courses and pathways that prepare PSD students to graduate with options. In addition to peer tutoring, the center hosts career and resource fairs, information nights, staff training sessions, committee meetings, showcases of student work, and more.
“PSD is the premier school system in Northern Colorado for career and college readiness options, with more than 3,300 students earning college credit last year and more than 1,000 students earning work-based learning credit,” said Tanya Alcaraz, PSD director of Career and Innovation. “Still, not everyone knows just how many opportunities are open to them. Having a central location to explore Future Ready options will reach more students and families and help them pick the educational experience that best fits them and their goals.”
Students and their families will have the opportunity to attend a Military Options Night from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Future Ready Center thanks to Poudre High School senior Ella Esteves. Esteves, part of the inaugural class of cadets in Poudre’s JROTC program, organized the information session after finding her calling in JROTC. She will join the U.S. Navy after graduating from Poudre High with 13 college credits and plans to earn a degree in technological engineering.
“This space is going to be amazing for all programs, including JROTC,” in building awareness of Future Ready programs, Esteves said at the grand opening.
In addition to providing information about career and technical education (CTE) and other options in PSD schools, the Future Ready Center serves as a welcome center for families new to the area who primarily speak a language other than English at home. The city of Fort Collins partners with PSD to have a digital literacy liaison available to help these families access services and resources about schools and other resources in the city.
The Future Ready Center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. While events and staff development meetings are sometimes booked during these hours, the center is otherwise open to the public to learn about options in PSD.
Learn more and explore options on the Future Ready website.