Jordan Vocational High School Celebrates Signing Day

We’ve all seen it.  It usually happens this time of year.  It oozes with media coverage, pomp and circumstance.  Many around the country tune in with anxious anticipation to see the results.  There are theatrics.  There is excitement.  What is this coveted event that leads millions to watch in awe?

Signing Day.

 

Each and every year, high school athletes across the country herald the spectacle of committing their allegiance to some particular college or university.  There’s often jerseys and hats, news articles and even tears.

This is a momentous occasion for those particular athletes and their hard work should be lauded.  But what about the millions of students who—athlete or not—will not be playing collegiate sports after high school?  What about those who are committed to entering the workforce and pursuing the American Dream of gainful employment and self-sufficiency?

 

Should those students not receive similar accolades?  It is, after all, the goal of every man to pave his own future by his own efforts, is it not?

This very idea is what inspires us at Jordan Vocational High School College and Career Academy to host an annual Signing Day for our Seniors who are going on to internships and potential employment with local businesses.  We gather these students, their families, and their employers, for a day of celebrating their commitment to the next step on life’s journey.

Our school began in Columbus in 1906 with the very intent of producing young people who were skilled enough to succeed in the local economy of the time.  In fact, our first graduating class in 1908 saw a whopping nine (9) individuals (6 women and 3 men) do just that. 

Of course, a lot has changed since 1908.  The local economy—once dominated by textile mills and its tertiary industries—is now a diverse and robust network of businesses ranging from healthcare and construction to advanced manufacturing and food.  This diversity of economic opportunity was on no clearer display than at Jordan’s 2024 Signing Day.

On February 15, 2024, twenty-six (26) members of the Jordan Class of 2024 signed a commitment to internships with eight (8) local employers.  Each of those students was, by doing so, making the first important step in their journey to self-sufficiency and achieving their own American Dream.

These students signed internships with the following local businesses: The Food Mill, Smith Gray Electric, Piedmont Healthcare, C.W. Matthews Construction, Panasonic, Muscogee Mills, Pratt & Whitney, and McCauley Propellers.

 

These 26 students will be pursuing careers in everything ranging from food preparation to heavy equipment operation.  These young people will be doing tasks that include wiring new residential homes and building advanced aviation equipment.  The multitude of skills is astounding, but there is one consistent that exists throughout:

Opportunity.

Opportunity is the number one asset Jordan offers to its students.  Opportunity is the currency by which each of these students is paid through four years of hard work and dedication to their education.

With over 15 unique career pathways, Jordan offers greater opportunity than ever before (certainly more than in 1906!) to local students to excel in almost any field they choose.  It is these robust opportunities that will allow these students to transition from being recipients of education, to the talent of tomorrow.  It is that talent that allows them to earn a gainful living and contribute back to the community itself.

It is this cycle of opportunity that makes events such as Signing Day so very necessary.  It is this cycle that merits applause and recognition. 

 

It is this cycle of opportunity for which Jordan Vocational High School College and Career Academy exists.  Since 1906, countless thousands have moved from its halls into the local workforce and paved the way for the students of today to have more opportunities than ever before.

And it is opportunities such as these—and those which Jordan offers to all her students—that make the Chattahoochee Valley such an amazing place to live, work, and play.