Columbia Schools to pilot life skills course next year

COLUMBIA TWP. — For students at one Lorain County high school, the 2025-26 school year will see another course option on the books meant to bridge the gap between graduation and the real world. Columbia Schools is the only district in the county to pilot the Education Revolution Association's life skills course next school year. The Education Revolution Association developed the curriculum, which hopes to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and find their best path for after high school. The course will include myriad personality and aptitude assessments alongside hands-on career discovery visits and interviews with adults in the community. ERA is located in Strongsville. Columbia High School, James A. Garfield Schools, Manchester Schools, Rootstown Schools, Southeast Schools, Waterloo Schools and Woodridge Schools will pilot the curriculum over three years. The cost of the pilot will be paid by entrepreneur Fred Ode's foundation. The cost of the pilot curriculum, a career and life discovery class teacher and a career readiness coordinator for Columbia High School is about $775,000 over three years. Columbia High School Principal Brian Siftar said having a course like this has been a personal and professional dream of his as there are students graduating each year who are unsure of what comes next. "We've seen students with potential fall through the cracks, not because they lack talent but because no one showed them how to turn their skills or interests into a career," Siftar said. "We are here to support them." Siftar said on a given day the class may host a local electrician to speak to students, coordinate a resume workshop or take a trip to a manufacturing site. The course counts toward graduation requirements, Siftar said, and can help students complete some graduation seals. Ohio's 12 different graduation seals show a student has met competency requirements and are prepared for the next steps after high school. Different options include the state's college-ready seal, a biliteracy seal, fine and performing arts, military, industry-recognized credentials and OhioMeansJobs readiness seals. In addition to the course, the new career readiness coordinator will bridge the gap between graduating students and their post-high school plans, Siftar said. The high school's goal is for all of its students to take the new course before graduation, he said. "We have this little saying that keeps coming up: 'We want to stand not as a destination for a finish line but a launching pad,'" Siftar said. Ode said college is not always the answer for every student. A former teacher himself, he said he wanted to try to address a gap in education he saw over the years to help students transition from school into "big boy and big girl world." The goal is to maximize each student's potential, he said, and give them a path for after they walk across the stage at graduation whether that is a college degree or backpacking in Europe. "There's a lot of paths, especially with how long we live," Ode said. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.