PRIEST RIVER — Wouldn’t it be nice to know that years spent in the classroom would pay financial dividends?

Nationwide, schools are gearing their curricula to make their students successful in college and careers. In that spirit, Priest River Lamanna High School is pioneering a path for its students to take major steps towards career success during their high school years. PRLHS teacher Kari Eggert said North Idaho College joined forces with PRLHS during the recently completed school year to pilot a program allowing Spartan high schoolers to take dual credit courses en route to earning a certificate in the industry field of computer aided office technology.

“This lends to the start of many administrative programs at North Idaho College and other schools around Idaho and the U.S.,” Eggert said. “At NIC alone students can use these to finish the first of two years for an administrative assistant degree or apply them to the process for other fields in medical, science, business, and education. These credits transfer to all colleges in Idaho, and in other states/colleges it is dependent upon their transfer agreement with NIC.”

This year, Eggert said the school has eight students who will graduate in summer 2017 with their basic technical certificate — two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores. Next year, PRLHS staff expect 72 students to start the program with the first four classes — mainly freshman — and will have 9-12 students complete their technical certificate in spring 2018.

The certificates are recognized across the computer and technology industry, which gives them a leg up in establishing a solid career, she added.

“Students are finishing their sophomore year of high school with industry recognized certificates in Microsoft Office Programs and a technical certificate from NIC in Basic Office Technology,” said Eggert.

“These certifications show employers the students experience and skill level in a variety of computer programs. For example, these skills are needed if you are to work in the medical field doing billing and coding which is a two year program at NIC or wanting to work as medical administrative assistant which is a stepping stone to becoming administrator of a hospital or other medical establishments. But students also use these certifications to gain employment in office around our community and gain relevant work study grants when they go to college/technical school.”

Thanks to the program’s success in Priest River this year, other schools in the area such as Sandpoint, Post Falls, and Lake City High Schools will add this program to their lineup next year, said Eggert.

PRLHS Principal Joseph Kren said, “We are continuing to offer quality programs on a very frugal budget. Programs that are allowing our students to grow and excel in all they do.”