Students at Washburn Rural High School (WRHS) will soon benefit from a new state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance career and technical education. The Innovation Center at WRHS will open to students on October 14, 2024, the first day of the second quarter of the 2024-25 school year. Auburn-Washburn celebrated this historic milestone with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The 50,000-square-foot center is part of an ongoing series of construction and renovation projects taking place across the Auburn-Washburn district to enhance the student learning experience.

While addressing those gathered at the ribbon cutting ceremony, Auburn-Washburn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott McWilliams shared, "This facility is more than just a structure filled with cutting-edge equipment; it represents a bold vision for the future of education. It is a commitment to nurturing creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving in our students. The Innovation Center will serve as a dynamic hub for exploration and discovery, equipping our students with the skills and resources they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world."

WRHS currently offers 18 career-focused Pathway programs approved by the Kansas Department of Education. A remarkable 75 percent of students will take at least one Pathway course during their time at the high school. Nine of the Pathway programs – Animal Science; Comprehensive Agriculture; Power, Structural & Technical Systems; Construction & Design: Construction; Construction & Design: Design; Digital Media; Biomedical; Restaurant & Event Management; and Programming & Software — are housed in the new Innovation Center.

"Each of these programs is more than a subject," shared WRHS principal Ed Raines. "They are the means by which we prepare our students for a rapidly changing world. In these spaces, they will learn how to think, how to lead, and how to transform. These are the qualities that will allow them to face the future with confidence and resolve."

That future is one of constant transformation. According to the Georgetown Workforce Study, 70 percent of jobs will require specialized skills by 2031, but only 35 percent of those jobs will require a four-year degree. "It is clear that the future demands new ways of thinking and learning, and that is precisely what this Innovation Center will provide," said Raines.

The center will empower students to engage in hands-on learning, collaborate on real-world projects, and develop the skills they need to meet future challenges head-on. "We are not just cutting a ribbon and opening our doors to this facility," said McWilliams. "Much more importantly, we are opening the minds of teachers and students to a world of new possibilities."