Ever wonder why Omaha South High School has pathways and what they are? Well, wonder no more.

Alex Menendez, South High freshman seminar teacher, said that “the pathways are a form of electives that can help students choose or have an idea on what they eventually want to do.” He also said that the pathways are “set up for students to succeed and work through trial and error in making decisions early.”  The pathway programs also help students realize if they want to follow that pathway in college or begin a career in the area.

Sheila McCauley, assistant principal, said that South started with a magnet program more than 20 years ago. “Now we have our pathway programs, and they have taken on many of those themes. For example, we have the performing arts pathway which is of huge interest to students.” The performing arts pathway includes vocal music, a stagecraft program, band and orchestra. “The performing arts pathway has been a thriving program for many years,” McCauley added.

Additionally, McCauley said that when students pick their pathways, they follow the program through the remainder of their school years.

Enedina Manriquez, a South High counselor, said the pathways’ intentions are to create classes for students to explore, “which is intended for them to take all four years of high school.”

She also said that the pathways are a way to help students learn and explore a career in their interests. Another thing Manriquez mentioned was that the pathways give opportunities to students to learn and explore more about careers they may want to pursue.

Yazlin Lopez, a South sophomore, said “the pathways are about finding your interest and maybe your career after high school. The pathways also help us find our passion within them.”