Meridian Technical Charter High School

Meridian Technical Charter High School
Location
Meridian, Idaho
United States
Information
Type Charter
Established 1999
Principal Randy Yadon
Faculty 20
Grades 9–12
Number of students 170–200
Color(s) Black and red
Mascot Dragon
Website www.mtchs.org

Meridian Technical Charter High School (MTCHS) is a high school located in Meridian, Idaho, United States. The student population is 170200 students, with a maximum of sixty-six students per grade. The school shares a campus with Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School (MMACHS). The two schools do not share classes; lunch is provided within the MMACHS cafeteria, and bussing is provided at MTCHS.

The school was originally known as Meridian Charter High School. The name was changed to avoid confusion with nearby Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School.

Purpose

The purpose of MTCHS is to educate students in the fields of technology. The technical courses offered are programming, graphic arts, networking, engineering and electronics. College level classes are also offered, which allow students to graduate with college credits, certifications, or even the possibility of a college degree (with an extended and per-student curriculum). MTCHS requires that students complete an internship of 280 hours either in the summer before, or during their senior year. Internships have been completed in the past with major Boise area companies like HP, Micron Technology and Urban Dezign.[1]

Career Pathways

After their freshman year, a student chooses from four different career pathways. The different pathways represent different technical electives that the student gets to take during their junior and senior years. Pathways are as listed below:[2]

  • Computer Networking
    • Topics include computer repair, networking, administering servers, network design, firewalls and network security.
  • Media Arts
    • Media Arts: Topics include graphic design, print design, web site development, video production, and photography.
  • Programming
    • Programming/Web Development: Topics include JavaScript, XML, CSS, HTML, ASP.net, C#, Java, databases, SQL, PHP, and Software Development.
  • Engineering
    • Electronics/Pre-Engineering: Topics include electronics, robotics, microcontrollers, soldering, technician training, problem solving, troubleshooting, CAD.

School Basics

MTCHS has high standards for its students. Until the current year, MTCHS has had a higher grading school than most schools. Since the school provides many dual enrollment classes with surrounding universities, it was misleading and confusing having MTCHS grades not match up with the college grades. As of the 2013-14 school year, the grading scale has changed.

MTCHS still imposed the no credit system, but the letter grades are those of most public schools:[3]

90–100: A
80–89: B
70–79: C
0–69: NC (No Credit)

SkillsUSA Tech Parties

A staple of MTCHS is the tech party. Held several times a year by SkillsUSA, tech parties attract a majority of the students at MTCHS, as well as gamers from all over the area. At an average tech party there are 100 to 150 people attending.[4]

During the 2012–13 school year, Tech Parties were changed. The parties no longer included games such as first person shooters, and those considered "too violent." The name of the parties were changed to "Fun Nights," and many students stopped attending the parties after the changes. During the 2014-2015 school year, the parties were renamed "Tech Parties," and included the MMO team-based brawler game League of Legends.

References

  1. "history". Archived from the original on 2012-07-29.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  4. http://www.mtchs.org/current-students/tech-party/

Coordinates: 43°38′21″N 116°22′21″W / 43.63917°N 116.37250°W / 43.63917; -116.37250

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