San Antonio Independent School District will welcome a new middle school this fall, dubbed CAST Imagine, housed on the campus of CAST Med High School. Touted for its innovative hands-on learning approach and career exposure, CAST Imagine aims to attract students looking to explore a variety of potential future pathways. In a statement captured by the San Antonio Report, Superintendent Jaime Aquino expressed his intent to regain students who had departed for other educational realms, stating, "As we deepen our partnership with CAST Schools, we aim to bring back middle school students who have elected choices outside of the district."
With students preparing to enter the new campus this fall, both sixth and eighth graders will begin the inaugural year, explained Maricela Alarcón, principal of both CAST Med and the new CAST Imagine. While it resides on the same grounds, the intention behind CAST Imagine is not purely to feed directly into the high school, particularly in the medical sphere. Alarcón discussed with the San Antonio Report how CAST Imagine's ethos diverges, noting, "Whereas middle school students are kind of trying to figure themselves out."
The Centers for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) network encapsulates a group of tuition-free, career-oriented schools, with CAST Imagine being the newest and the first middle school in its fold. Students and their families recently toured the campus, visions of their futures already dancing in their heads. Faith Rodriguez, an aspiring dermatologist, shared with the San Antonio Report her experiences of a summer program at CAST Imagine, where she dissected animal organs – paving a vivid path toward her goals.
As part of a uniquely tailored curriculum, CAST Imagine will incorporate a College and Career Exploration course where students can delve into their interests. Explaining the approach to interested parties, Alarcón conveyed, for example, if someone’s interested in dermatology it’s like OK, here’s an opportunity for you to do some research. Connecting interested students with local professionals and carving out opportunities for mentorship stands central to the school's philosophy. "There’s a lot of opportunities to be able to bring outside people in because that’s one of the big pieces of the cast network," Alarcón added during the discussions with future attendees and their parents.
Alarcón also emphasized the importance of CAST Imagine's South Side location, breaking a common misconception that greater opportunities lie to the north of the city. "Having CAST Imagine, on the South Side of San Antonio is really critical and important," she told the San Antonio Report, highlighting the significance of equitable access to innovative educational experiences.
