Filling the demand
Students use the biomanufacturing stations at the Athens Community Career Academy Biotechnology Pathway Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at ACCA on Feb. 20. The pathway started at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year to provide students with all knowledge they need to have a career in biotechnology and fill the demand for a skilled workforce. “We’ve got many large (biomanufacturing) corporations here in (Athens-Clarke) County,” ACCA Biotechnology Instructor Stan Harrison said. “They need skilled workers and they need them from all walks (of life), whether it’s just a high school degree, an associate’s degree, a two-year degree or a bachelor’s degree.” Photo courtesy of Stan Harrison
The Athens Community Career Academy’s Biotechnology Pathway teaches students useful skills that they will be able to apply to careers in biomanufacturing companies across Athens.
The Biotechnology Pathway was introduced to the Athens Community Career Academy at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year and continues to be available to all Clarke County School District sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Biotechnology is the use of living organisms to develop products that solve problems, such as the development of medicines by studying human blood cells. Students taking the three-course pathway will learn about these processes and how to apply them to biomanufacturing: the creation of the products on a commercial scale.
Students showcase one of their projects at the Athens Community Career Academy Biotechnology Pathway Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at ACCA on Feb. 20. ACCA Biotechnology Instructor Stan Harrison has helped to develop his current students’ skill sets to give them the opportunity to work in biomanufacturing companies across Athens. “You (have) to know your stuff (in the Biotechnology Pathway), but in the past, my students have (had) about a 55% pass rate, which is on par with four-year degree college students,” Harrison said. “We’re showing (the biotechnology industry) that high school students are capable and ready.” Photo courtesy of Stan Harrison
One thing ACCA Biotechnology Instructor Stan Harrison kept in mind while teaching the pathway was the rising demand for workers in biomanufacturing companies across Athens-Clarke County, including Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim and eventually the Meissner Corporation, which expects to start operations in ACC in early 2026.
“(Biomanufacturing companies) can’t produce enough (products) currently because they don’t have the skilled workforce,” Harrison said. “Not only that, these are high-demand pharmaceuticals (and), in many cases, life-saving (medicine).”
To promote the new pathway and the career opportunities it presents to students, Clarke Central High School Science Instructional Coach Dr. Katie Green organized for Harrison to deliver presentations about the pathway and its importance to CCHS biology and chemistry classes on March 12.
“There’s a lot of students who want to have a ‘helping’ career, and sometimes it’s unclear which careers are, besides a nurse and a teacher,” Green said. “(Biotechnology) could be a “helping” career that doesn’t include students dealing with blood or other bodily fluids. It doesn’t require the patient interaction that being a nurse would.”
“(Biotechnology products) are high-demand pharmaceuticals (and), in many cases, life-saving (medicine).”
— Stan Harrison,
ACCA Biotechnology Instructor
Harrison believes the Biotechnology Pathway will develop valuable skill sets that students will be able to apply to many high-paying careers in the biotechnology industry, from manufacturing to marketing positions. Additionally, because biotechnology workers are in high demand, many students will be able to apply for entry-level positions right after graduation.
“(Biotechnology) is one of the skill sets that can be applied to industries that (is) changing lives,” Harrison said. “There’s a calling in this industry. If you enjoy biology, chemistry (or) hands-on problem-solving, this might be a pathway for you.”
Preparing to plan
Athens Community Career Academy Entertainment, Sports and Event Management instructor Celissa Beck stands in Room 23 at ACCA on March 17. Through the course, Beck has taught skills like time management and proper email etiquette to her students. “My favorite part (of ESEM) is probably the events we set up. The events are really active, we’re not sitting down that much,” CCHS student Medrano Serrato said. “A lot of skills that I’ve learned (include) active (listening), communication, and teamwork. (That’s) a big one in this pathway because we do a lot of teamwork.” Photo by Peter Atchley
The Entertainment, Sports and Event Management Pathway at Athens Community Career Academy continues after being introduced at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
After its debut-year at the Athens Community Career Academy, the Entertainment, Sports and Event Management (ESEM) pathway is beginning its third semester of instruction.
ACCA’s ESEM pathway is the state’s first of its kind, taught by ACCA ESEM instructor Celissa Beck. The course itself is taught as three separate classes that focus on teaching hospitality and professionalism at each level.
“The first (course) is Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism Essentials. ‘What is the backbone of hospitality?’ ‘What soft skills do you need?’ And just what it means to work in the industry, what type of jobs you can have, just preparing them for that,” Beck said. “As (students) progress, they start planning events (and) learn what components go into it, how to set up budgets and how to market.”
“The end goal for all of my students is for them to be able to take these skills and set up any kind of event. I would love for them to go into this industry.”
— Celissa Beck,
ACCA ESEM instructor
Throughout the year, students enrolled in ESEM continue will help plan events at ACCA, such as the Hispanic Heritage Month program and parties hosted by the Yellowjacket Bistro, both of which they organized during the 2024-25 school year. Although Beck is in her second year of teaching, she has been in the event management field for over 16 years.
Several Athens Community Career Academy students in the Entertainment, Sports and Event Management pathway pose with ESEM instructor Celissa Beck. The ESEM pathway was offered for the first time at ACCA in the fall of the 2024-25 school year and has since planned several events such as ACCA Hispanic Heritage Night. “My students, when they finish the pathway, should have two certifications,” Beck said. “(So), a real success story for me would be if in 10 years, one of my students was working at one of the hospitality venues in Athens.” Photo courtesy of Celissa Beck
“The end goal for all of my students is for them to be able to take these skills and set up any kind of event. I would love for them to go into this industry,” Beck said. “They don’t have to, but they will get soft skills that are transferable to anything that they want to do.”
Some skills Beck has taught her students include elevator pitches, professional communication and interpersonal networking as well as project-planning. In application, some students in ESEM have gotten to help promote other ACCA events like the 2024 “Slam Poetry Jam: Words That Sing,” by creating posters.
“My favorite thing is doing a lot of projects,” Clarke Central High School junior Johann Colunga said.
It’s really hands-on, and none of it’s just sitting on your computer all the time. It’s more (about) teamwork and helps with building friendships and helping people.”
