Choice Programs
Academy of Finance
Affiliated with and administered by NAF, the Academy of Finance is designed to facilitate the transition from high school to more advanced training and focuses on building an educational foundation for a future in the financial services industry. In a small learning environment, students are introduced to career opportunities in the financial industry through numerous enrichment activities. Students engage in work-based learning activities, including field trips, job-shadowing and internships. College-level courses are offered through Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC). Students earn a certificate in Financial Studies upon completion of the Academy. For more information, please email Mrs. Sharon Riddick-Brown at Email Mrs. Sharon Riddick-Brown or call 910-484-8121 ext. 311.
Admission Requirements
Eligibility Requirements:
Min. 2.5 overall GPA and a min. of 3.0 GPA in academy courses
Faculty recommendations
Interview
Academy of Green Technology
Mission: Prepare students to be the innovators of the next generation as they pursue the technical and collaborative skills necessary to drive the emerging green and global economy.
Offers high-quality interdisciplinary learning experiences that emphasize STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)Offers exposure to alternative methods of generating electricity along with conservation practices
Prepares students for the opportunity to earn certifications upon completion: ETA Certified Solar PV
Installer and RESNET Certification in Energy AuditingOffers college-level courses through Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC)
Admission Requirements
Eligibility Requirements:
Completed DBHS 2019-2020 AoGT Application (link) (in or out of district)
Completed Choice Application (link) out of district only
Min. 2.5 overall GPA and a min. of 3.0 GPA in academy courses
Faculty recommendations
Interview
"We're a school system of choice and our choice is green."
Additional Academy Requirements:
AoGT Electronic Portfolio
25 hours of professional work-based learning each year
25 hours of volunteer service hours each year
AoGT shirt every Thursday
Participation on one Academy Team (Weather Balloon, Sun Stewards, RC Car, Green Team, Carbon Sequestration)
Meet minimum GPA requirements
17 hours of FTCC Course Work in Electrical Systems Technology
Link for Work-based Learning Activity Form (on PFHS website)
Click on the following links for more information and the academy application:
Academy of Green Technology Scope & Sequence
About Us
We are a small learning community within Douglas Byrd High School that introduces students to sustainability principles and renewable energy technical skills. We offer a broad understanding of what it means to be “green” in a rapidly changing world where the environment has become the defining issue of this generation. The Academy of Green Technology pathway offers the widest possible connection to future job prospects and surrounds students with technology experiences critical for future success. The knowledge gained in the Academy is relevant to solar panel installers, drone operators, journalists, small and corporate business, stock fund managers, engineers, meteorologists and so many more. With that in mind, the Academy also encourages leadership and community involvement. We have cutting edge programs in community outreach and STEM and our students spend a minimum of 50 hours per year immersed in one or more of those and other outreach programs.
Community and Work-Based Learning
Students in AoGT are required to spend 50 hours per year in various community and work-based learning activities. AoGT provides a number of teams that students can join, as well as a guest speaker series, to help secure hours. The teams are largely student lead programs and their descriptions are listed below.
Sun Stewards Mobile Solar Trailer- Students teach youth in local elementary schools about conservation and renewable energy using a mobile solar trailer and equipment secured in grant funding from the Stephen Shane Fincher Foundation and the Cumberland County Communities in Schools organization. The central activity is the participation in Cumberland County School’s two day Earth Day Fair for second graders.
CO2 Sequestration Research Project- In this new research project students have planted 50 trees of five different species, half mixed together and the rest in stands of five trees of a single species. They take measurements and determine the amount of CO2 sequestered twice a year. Their experimental question is whether a mixed tree stand sequesters more CO2 than a single tree stand. This is potentially a forty-year project.
RC Car STEP Competition- Students build, paint, and race a remote control battery operated car. They must also create a solar charging station to charge the batteries that fuels the car. The NC State competition is judged by finishes in two races, the quality and design of the car, a portfolio of the experience, experimental testing, and a presentation board. The team finished third overall in 2017-18.
Communities in Bloom- This new outreach program is a whole school opportunity started by AoGT and the Culinary Arts program. Students will maintain a greenhouse and provide gardening classes to our local community. Produce from the greenhouse will be used by the culinary arts program or sold to help fund future greenhouse projects. Grant funding from Youth Growth Stock Trust helped fund the project.
Stem at the Edge of Space-This high-altitude weather balloon program is offered by AoGT students to our community schools. Participants are provided curriculum on weather balloons, weather and atmospheric data, and rudimentary chemistry and physics relevant to grade level. Participants provide their own experiments to send up on the balloon, and AoGT students serve as mission control for the launch. After a 17-20 mile ride into near space, the weather balloon is retrieved and experiments returned to schools for analysis. Grant funding for this project was provided by Youth Growth Stock Trust of Cumberland County. The Stephen Shane Fincher Foundation also provided grant money to provide eight schools with a launch opportunity.
Youth Advisory Board/Green Team- A group of eight AoGT students lead Academy planning each year and are also responsible for coordinating the student portion of the school-wide green team. They initiate new projects and teams, they identify guest speakers, and they support Green Team initiatives to faculty and students. These students also represent the Academy at special events.