LANSING, Michigan — Officials at the Lansing School District said they value hands-on training. As such, the district plans to expand its career and technical education programs.

One of the students currently taking advantage of the district’s CTE program is 15-year-old Ayan Kelly.

“I love helping people and when someone I love like my family gets hurt, I want to help them whenever I can,” Kelly said.

A sophomore at JW Sexton Highs School, Kelley has had a passion for helping people since she can remember.

“I want to be a firefighter. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to experience new things,” she said.

Kelly is already learning the ropes of firefighting through the Lansing School District’s Academy of Fire Science. The Academy is her one of six career and technical education programs offered by the school district.

said Nicole Millsap, CTE program director at Lansing School.

Program students typically spend several hours a day doing hands-on training at the Hill Center.

About 70 students from the district took advantage of CTE last year, and this year that number has reached about 200, so the district wants to expand the CTE program.

“Therefore, we are creating an independent CTE high school that is expected to open at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year,” Milsap said.

Unlike the district’s current CTE program, the new high school allows students to stay at the Hill Center all day.

“So instead of going to the Hill for trading, they’re going to go to the Hill all day,” superintendent Ben Schuldiner said. Do science, English.”

The school district is said to admit 75 new students each year.

“So we go from grade 9 to 75, and then next year, that grade 9 goes on to grade 10 at the school, and then we have another grade 9. This cycle continues until the students graduate. It’s a four-year program.” Shuldiner said. “So in a few years there will be hundreds of students in CTE schools.”

The district said CTE schools wouldn’t cost much to start because they already have staff and buildings.