Academy Night: Open for Class of 2022

As per Gables tradition, Academy Night was hosted on Oct. 25 to offer eighth graders a glimpse into the academies and magnet programs Gables has to offer. Throughout the night, upperclassmen from each academy set up booths and helped the prospective students and their parents with any questions they have about academies they may be interested in. The night helps students determine whether they want to apply for a magnet at Gables or decide if they want to join another academy depending on the career path they’re aspiring to take.

Academies are meant to section off the school’s curriculum depending on the students’ interests. Each offers a variety of opportunities throughout the four years of high school including guest speakers, field trips, competitions and internships. As eighth-graders contemplate what they want to study and what high school they want to go, this night is organized to help them out with any questions they have and any doubts they are having about the school.

Business Management and Information Technology

The Business Management and Information Technology (BMIT) Academy focuses and introduces students to new skills on growing or establishing a business. Students in BMIT take electives such as accounting, entrepreneurship, and networking. Over the course of four years, students learn the ropes of the business industry and how to establish, direct, and organize a company. Those who go into international business learn about the global trade and its effects on national economies. A large percent of BMIT participates in the club Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and compete in accounting, business communication and more.

“Even though it is my first year at Gables, being in BMIT has taught me a lot about technology in the business industry and I hope that in the next few years my leadership skills will continue to grow,” freshmen Brian Sarria said.

Design, Education, and Hospitality

This academy offers a variety of classes such as architecture, childhood education, tourism and drafting design. They provide an early childhood education class that allows students to teach and handle small children in a typical pre-school environment. Throughout the four years of Early Childhood Education, students work toward their 480 hours of teaching that are required to achieve the Child Development Associate Credential (CDA), which is a national certification that allows one to work in any licensed center in the United States.

It also offers hospitality programs such as tourism, which teaches the different aspects of hotel and restaurant industries and architecture, which teaches students how to draw and create floor plans and prototypes. These programs offer students industry certification tests that will allow them to work in restaurants and hotels. On the other hand, design classes teach those in Design, Education and Hospitality (DEH) about different aspects of the fashion industry, including how to sew and design your own clothing. Throughout the year, the academy allows their fashion students to compete in the Youth Fair and others the opportunity to compete in Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a series of competitions that include culinary arts, fashion, digital design and more.

Health Science, Public Service, and Law

The Health Science, Public Service, and Law Academy consists of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), Law Studies, and Health Science. Law Studies is a four-year course that teaches students the basics of the legal system. Throughout the course, students learn how to approach and work on civil, criminal, constitutional, and international cases. Students in (JROTC) compete in many competitions that test precision, basic military and physicals skills as they compete among 18 Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) schools in Miami-Dade County. Finally, students in the Health Science department are introduced to anatomy and physiology and take part in other classes like sports medicine.

Visual and Performing Arts

Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) is an academy that gives students the opportunity to express themselves creatively through acting, dancing, art and music. Gables offers a vocal and instrumental music program that gives students the option to learn instruments ranging from trumpet to guitar to piano. The art department in the school is usually split into two sections: drawing and ceramics. They allow students to experiment with different mixed media and styles like printmaking. Students also learn about and reflect on the history of art through different works.

“For music, I have to say that my singing has improved a lot after joining chorus and my instrumental abilities have also come a long way. Going from a scared clarinet player in the band to a more confident guitarist in the jazz band is amazing,” junior Bryan Mejia said.

Over the course of the year, many VPA students compete in district evaluations for instrumental music, caroling competitions for choir and national and state competitions for the dance team and troupe, respectively.

Communication Arts, Film, and Digital Media

The Communication Arts, Film, and Digital Media Academy is meant for students who have an interest in writing. Gables has five different publications: highlights, TV Production, Yearbook, Catharsis, and Cavsconnect. Every year the Communication  Arts, Film, and Digital Media Academy (Caf & DM) competes in the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA) state competitions against other publications in Florida. At the event they have a series of on-the-spot competitions where students can compete alongside other aspiring journalists.

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme exists all around the world and is one of the two magnet programs that you can apply to at Gables. The IB program revolves around 6 subjects, referred to as groups: Language Arts, World Language, History, Science, Mathematics and an elective, in an effort to produce well-rounded students. The first two years in the program are referred to as pre-IB and are meant to prepare students for the rigor that they will face during their junior and senior year. To graduate with your IB diploma you must take and pass a series of projects, oral exams, research papers, and written exams within the 6 groups.  Students are also required to write a 4,000-word independent research paper, take part in community service and create an independent project centered around something they are interested in.

Academy of Finance / National Academy Foundation

The Academy of Finance (AOF) is a four-year magnet program that is based on the National Academy Foundation (NAF) curriculum. Throughout their schooling, students get a more detailed look into business industries and learn about the interactions between these. There has been a push to incorporate financial literacy into their classes, which teaches students the importance of budget plans or even school debt planning and other ways of managing money. In the magnet program, students must take a NAF End of Course Exam every year and must work on a series of research projects to remain in the program.

The academies at Gables offer a variety of classes and electives that students can select from. Whether they want to sing, write, draw or work in business, Gables has almost everything you can imagine. As the 8th graders leave Academy Night, they now have a better view of what the school is about and all the opportunities it holds for them.