Panther Tracks

In Pursuit Of Our Future!

College & Career Readiness

A 4-Year High School Opportunity to Prepare for the Future at Park Rapids Area High School

As we continue to strive for success in meeting the demands of today’s world we are preparing our students with modern education strategies. Park Rapids Area High School is moving to innovative ways to educate students in the 21st century by creating Panther Tracks to guide student learning.

Core & CTE Curriculum

By applying Career and Technical Education (CTE) principles to Panther Tracks, students are able to utilize their core academic knowledge and apply it to hands-on learning opportunities while also gaining soft skills and real-world career experience in our Park Rapids Community.

Personalized Learning for All

This approach to learning provides smaller, core-focused groups of students and staff who are motivated to excel in the tracks that have been created. Students will explore a variety of courses, some of which are mandated, but the goal is to provide all students career exploration and learning opportunities that truly motivate them. In addition, experiential learning opportunities will be made available when possible.

Utilizing the Career Wheel

We want our students to be successful in the new economy. We want our students to find out what they are interested in, building skills, exploring careers, finding out what they value in the workplace, and building a plan to get there. There are thousands of careers out there for students to choose from. Panther Tracks utilizes the Career Wheel, where students will be able to explore the 6 nationally recognized career fields to eventually find their pathway to success. Each of the 6 Panther Tracks is broken down even further into the 16 nationally recognized career clusters that contain career pathways with a sequence of courses designed to help students explore career fields of interest to better prepare them for life after high school. 

Career clusters are one way to group career choices. Careers with common features are in the same cluster. Clusters can be used during career exploration as a way to find your best career match.

• 6 career fields are the broadest level of career options. They are shown at the center of the diagram around the circle. They're a good place to start exploring careers.
• Underneath those six career fields are the 16 career clusters identified by the National Career Clusters Framework. In addition, some models also include the Energy Systems cluster. Careers with the same knowledge and skills are grouped in the same cluster. Each cluster may include hundreds of different careers.
• Each career cluster includes one or more of 81 career pathways. A pathway is a group of related career specialties within the career cluster.
  • A pathway has its own knowledge and skill requirements. Educational programs can be developed around each pathway. They include curriculum that helps learners prepare for a career. Programs of study are sequential and based on industry expectations and skill standards. Career pathways show learners of all ages which courses will give them the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to pursue their career choice.
• The center of the career pathways diagram shows knowledge and foundation skills. These are a core set of skills needed to be ready for work and college.

Business and Community Partnerships

The Park Rapids School District realizes that strong partnerships between the school and local businesses are imperative for the success of its students, as well as for the betterment of the Park Rapids community as a whole. As a school district, we take pride in being a part of the community! Each year, hundreds of people volunteer in Park Rapids Area Schools. Many of our students job-shadow, volunteer, and learn from the experts in our area. We want to increase the partnerships we are building with businesses in our community - and our goal is to create partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

We hope you'll join us in this effort!

To learn more about how you can partner with Panther Tracks, please visit the Employers Page and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. We can't wait to get you involved in our Pathways!