Discovering Excellence at Hico High School, Texas

Introduction:

Whether you are traveling from West to East, North to South, or just trying to find your way through Central Texas on an old country road, along the way you will find yourself landing in the middle of this great land in Hico, Texas. Nestled in the heart of the Lone Star State, Hico can be found a hustle and bustle of eager tourists indulging in some chocolates, eating home-cooked crafted cuisines, or spending the day shopping at one of the many trending boutiques in town. Yet with all that buzz in town, nothing compares to what is happening on the edge of town where all of this excitement continues to grow inside and outside of the walls of Hico Independent School District. At over 100 years in age, progress hasn’t stopped at Hico ISD. Focusing on technology and innovation, Hico ISD is striving to become one of the first schools in the area to transform the education game and bring the needed change to outcomes readiness of its future graduates.

For many years Hico ISD has stood as a beacon of academic achievement, community spirit, and Texas Pride. In the past five years alone, Hico ISD has seen its students succeed at the state and national levels in athletics, academics, and agriculture events. Yet all of this success is nothing in comparison to the new standard of success awaiting the Class of 2027 graduates and beyond. Three years in the making, the 2023-2024 school year is bringing about great change in not only the expectations of its students and staff, but brings forth a new level of community based focus in growing its new generation of productive citizens through its P-TECH education model.

What is P-TECH?

Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools are inno-

vative schools that allow students least likely to attend college an opportunity to receive both a high school diploma and a credential and/or associate degree. The hallmark of the P-TECH model is its career focus and the provision of work-based education. Yet, what sets Hico Secondary School apart from all of the rest of the P-TECH schools in the state of Texas? To start, ALL students at Hico ISD participate in this programming. The program is not limiting itself to those least likely to attend, but is creating a culture that all students can and will be successful through their participation in the P-TECH program. In addition, Hico ISD isn’t just stopping at the opportunity for its students to gain an associates degree, but rather it’s leaving its doors open for two more years after they cross their high school stage to finish their Bachelor’s degree. Therein lies the first key to educating your future community.

P-TECH at Hico Secondary, in partnership with Collegiate Edu-Nation, is a program designed to provide its students with a smooth transitional experience to postsecondary education and the workforce. Students will have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma while simultaneously earning an industry-approved certification, Associates Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree and beyond. Students will be provided with the academic, technical, and professional skills along with credentials that are needed for competitive STEM jobs. The goal at Hico ISD is to provide a pathway from high school to post-secondary education, to employment in the high-need industry areas. While Hico has been known for its pride in agricultural programs, and STEM education including Audio Video Production and Robotics classes, connecting students to the workforce and developing sustainable job-readiness skills is its new ultimate goal.

Much of the planning for this rollout with the Class of 2027 has been centered around researching the needs of our local regional workforce. Studying the regional workforce data and aligning the programs of study offered to Hico ISD students will allow students to be enriched in high need and high wage demanded careers in the future.

While students at Hico ISD have a variety of individual study pathways already decided for their future, this does not mean that their high school studies will not be enriched with an area of focus that they can still enjoy and benefit from after graduation. All students at Hico ISD can gain a minimum of their first 60 hours of college credit that is transferable to all public colleges and universities. All students can gain at least one certification in that workforce area so that they can go straight to work upon graduation until they decide to pursue another option. And all students will graduate with workforce skills that they can actually use to gain employment wherever they choose upon graduation and come in at a higher rung on the pay scale due to experience and job readiness credentials. While complex in its model with all of the parts and pieces, the puzzle comes together when students can graduate and be ahead of the game. This means that your 18 year olds that now stay in your community have a better shot of having a liveable wage. These students can go to college and be half way through with their studies and not graduate with nearly as much financial aid debts as traditional four-year students would have. The burden of success is alleviated somewhat by the dedication of a school that only wants to see the future of its community flourish by nurturing its next generation while they still have them under their wing.

The Community is the Heart

Over 80 years ago, a program had come to town under the name of the Works Progress Administration. This well known program was introduced in 1935 by then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Its intention was to provide jobs and income to the growing number of unemployed Americans at the height of the Great Depression. To make sure that allocated funds were spent wisely, projects were proposed from the local level to address needs of the local community. So how did this impact Hico and what does it have to do with the new program being implemented today? Well, the WPA was responsible for projects in Hico, Texas. One very special project

is the old rock gym and Tiger Stadium owned by Hico ISD. Over 80 years ago, a program was implemented to help a community. Today, that gym houses a gymnastics facility that provides skill development to the youth of Hico and surrounding areas. These students go on to be Tiger cheerleaders, better athletes, or have come along in strides to developing self-confidence and pride in hard work. This all happens under the roof of a program implemented 80 years ago. A quick walk down Kirk street and any given Friday you can see the lights of Tiger Stadium shining down on a packed house of Tigers young and old. Hico is a community built on pride and progress. It is a community that has needed programs along the way to build up its foundation to withstand the test of time. So the question that remains, what can a program like PTECH do for a community in the next 80 years?

Looking Toward the Future:

In the heart of Texas, Hico High School embodies the spirit of the Lone Star State. It's a place where students from diverse backgrounds come together to excel academically, athletically, and as members of a vibrant community. As Hico ISD continues to grow and evolve, it remains steadfast in its commitment to providing an exceptional education and fostering a sense of pride in its students. With an eye on the future, Hico Secondary prepares its graduates to take on the challenges of tomorrow while cherishing the traditions of the past.

Hico High School is more than a school; it's a symbol of what makes Texas special and at Hico ISD, the uncharted trail has been set ablaze and the future just got a whole lot brighter.

About the author

Dixie Watson, Hico P-TECH Director

After starting at Hico ISD as the Secondary Principal for three years, the growth of P-TECH programming needs and the needs of assisting in the development and implementation of PTECH became my next endeavor. I have spent the last few years planning and strategically aligning the needs of the local workforce with the academic programming needs of Hico ISD as the P-TECH Director. My husband, Adam Watson, is also entering his fifth year coaching and teaching at Hico ISD where our 5th and 6th grade sons attend. We are committed to seeing the program's benefits not only reach our children, but all of the future Tigers that come through Hico ISD.