STEPHENSON — Stephenson High School students are being offered another avenue to increase their information technology knowledge and training with the introduction of the Microsoft Imagine Academy to the Stephenson School District. In conjunction with Certiport, a global leader in performance-based certification exams, and the State of Michigan, access to the Microsoft Imagine Academy and Certiport testing is expected to be a key component to building greater job and college readiness into the resumes of Stephenson High School students.

The Microsoft Imagine Academy partners with students, schools, government agencies, and industry to provide supplemental course work that prepares students with education, testing, and certifications that they can use to increase their technological skillsets. Education and certifications are currently available in the areas of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access with hopes to expand into other programs in the future.

“The need for well-trained employees in the IT sector is projected to continue to see nothing but growth,” said Anita Casperson, Stephenson High School’s business education teacher and head of the district’s Business Professionals of America chapter. “It is critical that we actively utilize and take advantage of services such as the Imagine Academy to prepare our students for the information technology world they will ultimately inherit, whether they continue on to higher education or choose to enter immediately into the work force. Students state that is much easier and quicker to write papers and do presentations in both high school and college, often commenting on how they are often asked to help their peers that have not had any training on the use of these programs.

For more information on the Microsoft Imagine Academy and its use at Stephenson High School, please contact Anita Casperson at (906) 753-2221 Ext 114 or acasperson@stephenson.k12.mi.us.