Hart Career Center Director Chris Denham says the investments the public has made in the school are paying off for the local economy and programs are growing.

Denham gave an update about where the center is at and what’s been going on recently at the Mexico BOE meeting on Nov. 22.. He said most programs are steady or seeing increases in enrollment. Denham said he’s proud of what the center has accomplished. 

“For the most part, our kids are either getting something in the field they studied or at the very least going out and being gainfully employed,” Denham said. “I think most of our students are using their education and going out and being productive after graduation.”

The center had to expand its welding program with about 60 students enrolled and a new instructor was hired. The center also needed more space and a mezzanine was recently constructed to give the shop more floor space.

“I think we may have created a little bit of a beast in that,” Denham said. “We’ve got a really big group of intro kids and I’m looking at the number of full-time slots that we’ll have next year and we’ll have to have some creative discussion on how we get those kids plugged in.”

The school’s cosmetology program is growing and the school will have a soft opening for its salon next month with a full opening second semester. The salon will be open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Denham said they would also like to increase the number of students in the IT and health sciences programs. There is also talk of expanding the construction trades program.

Before COVID-19 the school was looking at an EMT (emergency medical technician) and firefighters program but the plan was crashed. Denham said discussions about the programs have fired back up with the idea of adding law enforcement to the curriculum.

“That kind of got pushed to the side but I think that’s still a worthy discussion,” Denham said.

Denham said the center is not only providing a pathway for students but its also helping the local economy.

“People are crying for help in a lot of those industries and there’s so many pathways,” Denham said. “If you’ve got a kid who does not have the resources to go to college, or even if they do, to step into a union position or any number of companies will take them right out of high school and you start getting paid immediately and you don’t have that debt.”

Mexico Public Schools Superintendent Melissa Chastain urged board members to tour the school.

“You know the work that happens there but to really see how it’s impacting these kids and their futures,” Chastain said. “Not all kids need to go to college and to give kids an opportunity to hit the ground running.”