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Skilled Trades Tour Helps Phoenix Academy Students Discover Apprenticeships

by Allison M. Slocum
written by Allison M. Slocum

The Mechanical Trades Institute in Atlanta, Ga. Photo credit: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Twenty-six high school juniors and seniors from Phoenix Academy recently toured the Mechanical Trades Institute (MTI), gaining firsthand insight into skilled trade careers.

Led by third-year apprentice Justin Davis, the tour provided Phoenix Academy students with a comprehensive look at the training and career opportunities available at the institute.

Students explored various trade areas, interacted with experienced instructors, and observed equipment used in real-world applications. They also heard testimonials from current apprentices progressing through MTI’s rigorous program and learned that the students complete the training with zero student debt.

Phoenix Academy students tour the Mechanical Trades Institute in Atlanta, Ga. Photo credit: Allison M. Slocum, APS ©

Since its establishment in 1936, the Mechanical Trades Institute has trained apprentices to become pipefitters, plumbers, and HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration) service technicians. The apprenticeship is an intensive five-year program requiring over 10,000 hours of training, including classroom instruction and on-the-job experience. Unlike traditional trade schools, it is sponsored by the Local Union 72 of Atlanta.

The visit to MTI exposed Phoenix Academy students to an alternative path beyond the traditional college route that will prepare them for success in career and life. By seeing the value of skilled trades firsthand, students learned a deeper understanding of the opportunities available through programs that provide not only technical expertise but also financial stability and long-term career growth.

For details about the opportunities offered at the Mechanical Trades Institute, visit www.mti-jatt.org.

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OxBlue Gives Back to Atlanta Public Schools Transition Academy

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

The Atlanta Public Schools Transition Academy at Phoenix Academy received a $2,300 gift from OxBlue and welcomed volunteers from the partner organization for a day of service projects on Feb. 28.

In addition to the monetary donation, volunteers built two raised garden beds at the school and painted a mural of the Phoenix Academy logo near the school’s entrance.

OxBlue, a construction camera service provider, is one of several organizations that partner with the Transition Academy to provide students with opportunities to apply the soft skills and professional skills they learn at school in a real work environment.

“Organizations like OxBlue help train students for what is expected in the job force,” APS transition teacher Dr. Michelle Mainor said. “They help show our students how to be professional, independent workers, and that even though they have a disability, they can still work.”

The gift from OxBlue will go towards resources and supplies that will help the Transition Academy simulate a variety of work environments where students can practice the soft skills and professional skills they need.

The Transition Academy offers opportunities for students who have completed their graduation requirements and have an intellectual or developmental disability to expand their horizons in the areas of employment, independent living, and daily living.

“This donation from OxBlue is going to allow us to purchase some resources to allow us to simulate some of these work environments,” said Jinya Nunnally, the Exceptional Education Coordinator for Transition Programming. “Ms. Brown has a dining room table setup and some other things, but we would like to beef it up to make it more real-life friendly. We’re just looking to make the experience more realistic.”

OxBlue presents a check to the Transition Academy.

The four-year academy helps students ages 18-22 continue preparing for adulthood and post-secondary success. In the classroom, students go through video modules and often role-play everyday scenarios to learn independence, critical thinking, and communication skills to help them be more productive citizens. 

The M.E.R.I.T.S. (Meaningful Experiences Related to Transition Success) program is designed for students who may need additional support with independent living, socialization, self-determination, and honing their employment skills. These students go out into the community four days a week and work half-days with partners like the Westin Hotel and the Atlanta Zoo.

The G.R.O.W. (Getting Ready for Opportunities to Work) program is for students who are more ready for a full-day work experience. These students have interned with Piedmont Hospital, Grady Hospital, and the Georgia Aquarium in a variety of positions.

“Some of our employers have employed students with disabilities consistently, year after year,” Nunnally said. “They see the value of our students and recognize that students with cognitive disabilities are valuable to the workforce.”

OxBlue has worked with the Transition Academy’s G.R.O.W program for the last few years and the students have been a major help in their work. Students have interned at the company’s production facility and assisted them with cleaning and organizing camera equipment before they are sent back into the field.

OxBlue accepts a thank you card from the Transition Academy students.

“It’s a really important piece of what we do to help us get that equipment back and in the right shape so that we can go ahead and put it back out in the field,” OxBlue executive project manager Marcella Archilla said. “The students have done a phenomenal job and provided a huge amount of assistance where we’ve needed it, so we’re really grateful to have them.”

Some students in the Transition Academy have gotten job opportunities through the program and leave the program early when they are more confident in their ability to live and work independently. Dr. Mainor has witnessed students overcome their fears and apprehensions about being productive citizens because of their disability.

“My biggest joy is watching a student complete the four-year program, transition into full-time employment, and see them months later independent, working, earning their own wages, and living on their own,” Dr. Mainor said.

For more information about the Transition Academy, visit the APS Office of Exceptional Education website.

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📹 APStv: 2023 REACH Scholars at Phoenix Academy

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

The 2023 REACH Scholarship Signing Ceremony at Phoenix Academy. Meet these remarkable scholars by viewing the video above and by clicking here for more information.

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I am APS: Dr. Cedrick Gilbert

by Thomas Scott
written by Thomas Scott

I am APS is a special series highlighting students, faculty, alumni, and others in celebration of the rich and diverse experiences, backgrounds and contributions within the Atlanta Public Schools family. Together, we stand in solidarity of our shared admiration of APS and the mission which guides us. #IamAPS

Phoenix Academy assistant principal Dr. Cedrick Gilbert with his Turner High School class of ’89 yearbook photo (photo: Thomas Scott).

APS went down memory lane with a true Atlanta Public Schools lifer.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert, the assistant principal at Phoenix Academy, was raised, educated and employed by the school district that has been his home since he was a kindergarten student at Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School.

As a proud APS alumni, whose varsity letterman jacket still fits, Dr. Gilbert shared how his experiences through APS shaped his career and led him back to leading the scholars in his own community.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert
Assistant Principal at Phoenix Academy, Turner High School class of ‘89

Q: What makes you proud to be an APS alumnus?

A: What makes me extremely proud to be an APS alumnus is that I realize that I’m carrying the torch of great giants. I firmly stand on the shoulders of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Nobel Peace Prize winner, drum major for justice and a Booker T. Washington High School graduate. I stand on the shoulders of Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first African American woman to attend the University of Georgia and a Turner High School graduate. I stand firmly on the shoulders of Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta and David T. Howard High School graduate… But two people that are most important to me that supersede all those great giants, I stand on the shoulders of Phyllis Sherman, my mother and a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, and my father George Richard Gilbert, who attended David T. Howard High School. I stand firmly on the shoulders of all the historic greats that have graduated from this historic school district and I’m trying to carry that torch.

Q: How has APS prepared you for life and helped you reach your goals?
A: I’ve experienced all the intangibles of life by being a student in Atlanta Public Schools. I’ve encountered success, failures, love, heartache, and heartbreak. I’ve encountered caring and loving adults who wanted the best for me. Teachers and coaches pushed me to be great and I’ve also encountered roadblocks, obstacles and challenges, all of which is a great recipe for life.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert spent senior week at Turner High School shadowing then principal Dr. Roy Hadley, and now he’s a school administrator (photo: Turner High 1989 yearbook)

Q: What made Henry McNeal Turner High School special?

A: I’m a life member and officer of the Turner High School Alumni Association. I support the annual scholarship and prayer breakfast, and the Turner High School picnic and tailgate. I constantly wear the Turner HS paraphernalia. One would say that you never experience high school unless you attended Henry McNeal Turner High School.
It was special in the fact that the faculty and staff were caring. They were nurturing. We had a leader in the form of Dr. Roy Hadley, who served as the principal during my years, and he was a phenomenal leader. He cultivated healthy relationships with students. I saw how he interacted with staff. He was not only just excellent in curriculum, instruction and pedagogy, he was a leader of men. I saw how the staff responded to him, and I saw not only the relationship he had with me but with other students. He was vested and it showed.

Q: Was your career in education inspired by your APS experience?
A: I’ve always admired Dr. Hadley because, first of all, he was a doctor. He really inspired me. Dr. Hadley was a major influence on me, and as a result I pursued education, went on to post-secondary education. I was able to earn my doctoral degree and become an administrator. I attribute that to the experience I had in the Atlanta Public Schools system, particularly my high school years under the great leadership of Dr. Roy Hadley.

Dr. Cedrick Gilbert is a proud APS alumnus of Henry McNeal Turner High School (photo: Thomas Scott)

Q: Was your career in education inspired by your APS experience?
A: Do you have any memorable APS experiences?
I attended Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School, APS. I attended John F. Kennedy Middle School, APS. I attended Henry McNeal Turner High School, APS. I stayed home and attended Morris Brown College here in Atlanta. Upon graduating from college, I had the opportunity to go back to my former elementary school, Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School on Simpson Rd. to be a teacher. I was able to go back to the community that gave to me as a young child. I was able to go walk down those same halls that I did as a kindergartner. It was a remarkable experience, one that I cherish and hold near and dear to my heart. Anytime you have an opportunity to go back to your old elementary school and have a positive impact on not just students, but students whose parents you grew up with. I was a part of that community.

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