Swampscott High School will officially offer a third Innovation Career Pathway for students seeking a hands-on learning experience in media arts and communication.

Innovation Career Pathways is a state-funded initiative that brings vocational-style learning into traditional public schools. Swampscott has previously offered advanced manufacturing and business and finance. After completing a two-phase application process, the high school has been approved to offer a media arts and communication pathway.

“We had to prove that this was an industry that would need people coming out going right into it,” said Director of Teaching and Learning Sarah Kent. “It’s cool.”

The pathways combine coursework with real-world industry experience, preparing students either to enter the workforce after graduation or pursue a two- or four-year degree in a related field.

Students typically take an introductory course as freshmen and officially enroll in a pathway during their sophomore year. They have until high school graduation then to complete the pathway requirements. 

The Innovation Career Pathway program includes coursework at Swampscott High School along with advanced course options such as AP classes or dual-enrollment opportunities.

Students also complete an internship or capstone project that strengthens their connection to the community. These internships last about 100 hours over the course of the year, Kent said.

“It’s kind of like a minor in college,” Kent said. “For a high school kid, that’s a real feather in their cap.”

Swampscott was one of the first 21 Massachusetts school districts to offer an Innovation Career Pathway. This year, the state approved 10 additional districts to offer the program. The 31 schools represent just about a third of eligible districts who could take advantage of Innovative Career Pathway, according to Kent. 

“And the only ones near us are Lynn and Haverhill,” Kent said. “This is something we’re doing that not a lot of our neighbors are.”

The media arts and communication curriculum builds on decades of cinematic arts and television coursework offered at the high school.

“Over the past ten years we have refined the curriculum and developed partnerships with community organizations and artists,” said Media Arts Instructor JoE Douillette, who will take charge of the new pathway. “The most significant change in this track will be the addition of journalism, a collaboration with the English department and potentially the Swampscott Tides.”

The media arts and communication pathway will run with three tracks: cinematic arts and television; sound engineering and audio production; as well as graphic design and visual communication. 

“Because of current staff levels, we currently offer only one course in each area,” Douilette said. “We have discussed the addition of staff to be able to offer more courses in Year 2 and beyond, providing more options for students, as well as the opportunity to enroll more students.”

Kent said the pathway builds on existing offerings such as digital film production, Big Blue News, music production, live sound engineering and journalism. After the first year, “we would need graphic design, digital photography…maybe rock band.”

“Eventually we want to get into things like motion graphics,” Kent said. “They will all also get an Adobe certification probably.” 

Some students have already completed most of the pathway requirements before the program was officially approved.

“We might actually have them graduate next year with it,” Kent said. “Then we can also attract new kids.”