MOSES LAKE — Classes start Monday, but registration is still open for the Summer Academy at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center.

The summer session is open to high school students, from incoming freshmen to incoming seniors, said summer academy director Chad Utter. Traditionally most of the students that attend are freshmen or sophomores.

Copies of the summer school application are available at each of the 11 schools in the CB Tech consortium. Students also can register at CB Tech on the first day of classes.

The academy offers classes in nursing, computer science, criminal justice, auto technology, construction, advanced manufacturing (including welding) and entrepreneurship. A cosmetology class is offered, but prospective students must meet some prerequisites, Utter said. Auto tech classes meet at CB Tech the first day, with the rest of the classes in the auto tech program building at Big Bend Community College.

There is a culinary class, but it’s already at full enrollment, he said.

Classes are free to students in the 11 districts that are part of the CB Tech consortium, and students receive one-half of an academic credit for each class. Lunch is provided for students who want it.

Students must find their own way to class, Utter said. The exception is the Othello School District, which will be providing a bus.

Classes are scheduled for Monday through Friday for the last two weeks of June, along with July 5 through 7. Classes meet from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Summer Academy helps kids learn about possible careers, and determine which jobs they’d like – and maybe jobs they wouldn’t like, Utter said. “If nothing else, summer academy helps them eliminate some things.”

Summer academy is “two and half weeks intensive training. And in two and a half weeks you find out you really like something, or you really hate something. Both are valuable.”

The full-day format makes it possible for kids to learn a lot about their chosen subject. “They’re making or doing (projects) quickly,” Utter said.

The summer program emphasizes skills students will need when they graduate, like being on time and having a good attitude, whether it’s at school or at work. It’s something CB Tech teachers talk about every day, Utter said. “We’ve stressed the soft skills.”

The summer program is a good way for kids to find out if the CB Tech program is for them, he said. “Just come and check us out.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].