Dr. Gene Burton College & Career
Academy: Authentic Experience
for Workforce / College Readiness
A
t the core, the Dr. Gene Burton College and Career Academy will be a place where students can
explore their dreams. With industry experts as their teachers and technology tools at their fingertips,
high school students can begin working towards vocations and discovering new passions from the
moment the Academy campus opens its doors in the fall of 2018.
Alison Belliveau, principal of the College and Career Academy, is anticipating the upcoming school year with
excitement for all students in Rockwall ISD.
“We are working on making the Academy different from most schools,” Belliveau said. “We are going to
have a lot of focus that will be business and industry driven.”
With over 50 courses spanning from STEM subjects to creative arts to culinary classes, the Academy will
allow students to start determining which trade or college path best fits their personalities long before they
ever step into a cap and gown.
All Academy courses allow students to meet core graduation requirements with material designed specifically
for subjects that correlate to real career paths. Rockwall ISD Superintendent Dr. John Villarreal explained
that the courses offered at the Academy allow students a learning experience that more authentically prepares
them for the workforce than ever before.
“From an academic standpoint, students are getting state-of-the-art facilities to have courses that are related
to career and technical education,” Dr. Villarreal said. “They get to learn in an authentic environment. The
theme throughout the entire building will be workforce readiness and tied into college readiness as well.”
Not only can students get a taste of potential careers in their classrooms, they can also begin earning dual
credit towards college degrees and certifications in specific fields.
There are two English courses, two Math courses, a Government course and an Economics course available
for dual credit through Collin Community College on the Academy campus. Students can also receive
technical dual credit in EKG/Phlebotomy and Central Sterile Processing. Both of these certifications would
allow them to apply for jobs immediately after high school graduation and enter the workforce, or help
supplement the cost of school and living expenses while they pursue higher education. Texas Tech University
will also be partnering with the Academy in the future to offer further college credit opportunities that can
8