Blue Springs School District's Career Innovation Center opens to students wanting real-world learning

BLUE SPRINGS, MO — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.

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The Blue Springs School District's new Career Innovation Center (CIC) is open, welcoming about 700 students for profession-based learning this school year.

I first brought you inside the building at the start of the year as it was nearing the end of construction. Now that school has started and the building is fully open, we're taking you back inside.

Students can learn to cook in a commercial kitchen as part of the culinary arts program. A dedicated space for physical, athletic and personal training is also available, along with a nursing department, computer animation lab, intro to teaching, and more career pathways.

Cameron Huck, a senior at Blue Springs South High School, is studying both computer animation and intro to teaching this year. She hopes those classes set her up for her goal of becoming an art teacher.

JACK MCCORMICK/KSHB

"Being here, I'm able to be with like-minded people. I'm able to learn something that I want to do for the rest of my life, and it's just very — it feels very personal to me. CIC does, and that's one of my favorite things about it," Huck said.

Prior to this school year, the CIC programs were taught next door out of part of the former Freshman Center. That school building was demolished and the CIC was built in its place.

"I think the new nursing department is the same size as our old building was," Huck said.

The building also features a state-of-the-art flight simulator. Fort Osage Senior Logan Ford, who is focusing on aviation and business with hopes of traveling the world someday, has been among those wowed by the new spaces.

"So when I walked in here first, I mean, I looked upstairs and I just — it's just beautiful," Ford said.

Ford wants to finish his senior year with new connections and feeling ready for college. He said the CIC has something for every student.

JACK MCCORMICK/KSHB

"They've kind of made sure that they've incorporated a lot with having everything for anybody. So any student with any different interest can come here and enjoy themselves and not feel like they're pressured to do anything," Ford said.

The building was paid for by a voter-approved 2024 bond. The CIC has multiple Eastern Jackson County school districts represented and hundreds of local businesses supporting students' real-world learning. Business partners include Scout Coffee in the kitchen and JE Dunn for the trades. The district is always looking for more industry partners, and interested businesses can reach out to Blue Springs School District to get involved.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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