It’s almost impossible today to watch any news program without hearing about an innovation relating to Artificial Intelligence, or AI, for short.
There already are plenty of jobs in the field — just waiting for people who are equipped to tackle the challenges.
Angeline Academy of Innovation — a magnet school in Pasco County — plans to help provide additional options to its students and to address that talent gap through its Artificial Intelligence coursework.
It is adding the AI option to the curriculum at the magnet school, set to open at 8916 Angeline School Way, near the Suncoast Parkway and Ridge Road in August.
Initially, the school will serve students in grades six through 10, but plans call for adding grades 11 and 12.
JoAnne Glenn is the school’s inaugural principal.
She explained the school’s decision for adding AI, in an email to The Laker/Lutz News.
Specifically, she said:
- AI jobs are plenty, with hiring growing by 32% in the last couple of years and expected to increase.
- There is a high talent gap—not enough qualified applicants for vacant positions.
- AI professionals earn top salaries, well north of $100,000 yearly.
- As a rapidly evolving industry, growth opportunities in AI careers are diverse.
- AI careers are flexible—AI experts can be a freelancer, consultant, researcher, practitioner, or even build AI products as entrepreneurs.
Angeline’s content will address the five big ideas in AI, Glenn added. Those are: “perception; representation and reasoning; machine learning; human AI interaction; and societal impacts of AI.”
The course content also includes practical experiences in AI system design, deployment, and evaluation.
The sequence of the four courses relies on equipment and materials that already are part of the school’s Computer Science and Cybersecurity pathway, enabling the school to provide AI coursework.
The introductory semester course is called Artificial Intelligence in the World, Glenn said. There’s also a Procedural Programming course.
After accepting her role, Glenn created a video to explain Angeline’s philosophy and mission, as well as providing practical details about what to expect at the school.
She told viewers that Angeline’s planning is intentional to make its “learning experiences exciting and engaging, and connected to the real world to prepare our students for their lives after high school.”
She went on to explain: “Our key levers to support this work include rigorous instruction; a compassionate school environment that ensures that our students feel cared for and supported; equitable instructional practices, meaning we believe in having an open door; and, allowing students to feel supported in taking academic risks and trying new things.
“These three levers are actually the foundation that we believe are essential to ensuring that our students leave our system prepared for college, career and life,” she added.
The high school will offer career academies, as well as opportunities to merge some fields — enabling students to create a more personalized track.
The school will be near Moffitt Cancer Center’s Pasco County campus, which has been christened Speros FL.
The school district has been collaborating with Moffitt to give students the chance to experience internships, externships and the opportunity to work directly with scientists, doctors and other experts.
Construction activities are ramping up on Moffitt’s 775-acre campus, with the first phase of the project in the northwest corner of its property near the Suncoast Parkway and Ridge Road.
A Moffitt official previously reported that Moffitt likely will build on about 500 acres of the land, leaving views of nature for patients.
The Moffitt site is entitled for up to 24 million square feet of development, but its current master plan calls for about 13.5 million square feet of mixed uses.
At full build out, the campus is expected to have about 140 buildings, according to a previously published report in The Laker/Lutz News. It also is expected to attract cancer researchers and life sciences companies from around the globe.
Upcoming School Choice Window
A second school choice window will be open from April 12 to April 19. Students and families from the central Pasco region who are interested in joining grades six through 10 at Angeline Academy of Innovation are invited to apply using the School Choice application in the school’s parent portal.
Seats in grades six through eight are awarded by lottery, while high school students must meet minimum requirements for grades and standardized tests.
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/2y8shnef.
Published March 15, 2023
