News

December 2, 2019 Announcements

MidAmerican Energy gives $100K to Sioux City Career Academy

Visitors explore the Sioux City Career Academy during an open house in September 2018. Justin Wan, Sioux City Journal.
Visitors explore the Sioux City Career Academy during an open house in September 2018. Justin Wan, Sioux City Journal.

The Sioux City Career Academy with specialty course offerings through the Sioux City Community School District has gotten a financial boost, courtesy of a $100,000 donation from MidAmerican Energy.

The Sioux City School Board approved the MidAmerican Energy donation and naming rights agreement, in which the common/lunch area will be named for the energy company.

The money will go to the Sioux City Public Schools Foundation, which raises money to supplement the school district budget, and then be directed to the academy. As per the school district policy concerning naming rights, the school board must approve all such financial donations.

The naming agreement will run for up to 20 years.

“We believe in the importance of career and technical education and strive to support valuable programs in the communities we serve. The Sioux City Career Academy is an innovative approach to reaching students through engaging courses that teach the key skill necessary for our future workforce,” said Kathryn Kunert, MidAmerican vice president of economic connection and integration.

The Career Pathways Campus rooms are in a second-floor portion of a building at 607 Fourth St. in Sioux City.

The academy allows students to take specialty courses in more than 30 so-called pathways, covering business and marketing, family and consumer science, health science and industrial technology. There are roughly 150 courses within the pathways.

Most of the district’s academy courses follow a sequence, offer college credit, and in many cases offer a level of certification toward workforce or further postsecondary study.

A check presentation event for the MidAmerican Energy donation was held Tuesday morning at the Career Academy.

View the full article by Bret Hayworth on the Sioux City Journal.