Curriculum puts students ahead of the pack

Hundreds of Prior Lake High School students will be well ahead of their peers in planning their future following graduation. Not only have they had the opportunity to experience hands-on learning about different career paths they may wish to pursue as an adult, many will leave with college credits that can be applied toward a future degree.

The Minnesota Center for Advanced Professional Studies was introduced at Prior Lake High School in 2016. For the past several years, leaders of the profession-based immersion program partnered with Farmington High School in offering concentrated studies in the “pathways” areas of business, education, medicine/healthcare and trades. Open to juniors and seniors, the program offers students practical learning opportunities and exposure to different careers they could consider in the future, according to Brian Nutter, assistant principal at Prior Lake High School and MnCAPS coordinator in the past school year.

“Many students think they have an idea about what they want to do in the future but eventually find out they want to pursue something else,” Nutter said. “MnCAPS allows them to explore different options. They get to learn from people who are experienced in a profession who help them get hands-on experience.”

The Prior Lake program has close to 300 volunteer mentors who have extensive knowledge in a wide variety of professions and skills, with most living or working in the south metro area. That’s not a prerequisite — one mentor is a U.S. Marine sergeant living in Okinawa, Japan, who connects with students who are interested in a military career. Every MnCAPS student works with a mentor who can answer questions and provide guidance in a collaborative environment, Nutter said. He adds that mentors offer invaluable insights into a specific business or profession, while the program’s teaching staff members share more practical skills-based knowledge with enrollees who are eager to learn.

Senior Sean Souriya and Danea Dahlberg, a junior, are MnCAPS students who speak enthusiastically about the program. All participants are required to take traditional courses in English and math, for which they get college credits, in addition to signing up for a specific pathway. Many take assessment and interest tests prior to choosing a course of study which can be changed between junior and senior years. Both students chose to study under the trades pathway this year which allowed them to learn more about the construction industry.

“This is an awesome program because you’re with the same student base all year long,” said Souriya, who will be attending Alexandria Technical College after graduation to focus on peace officer and public safety training. “You come into the program with an empty mind and get to meet new people with different ideas and are willing to share their skills. You find there are usually many ways to get something done with good results.”

Dahlberg is one of five girls in the construction pathway that has 48 students. She says she has appreciated the opportunity to dabble and learn about a variety of different career paths she could consider after high school. While she learned much in the past year about what it takes to be successful in the construction industry, Dahlberg said she and Souriya were fortunate to be mentored by members of the Scott County Sheriff’s Department who shared a variety of their public safety experiences that focused on the value of good leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

“The MnCAPS program is really about preparing us for life lessons,” Dahlberg said. “We get to learn about practical things we’ll be facing as adults. I have a better understanding of what it takes to take care of a home and finances needed to do that. I liked that we actually got to build stuff.”

The business and health care pathways are the most popular areas of study within MnCAPS, according to Nutter. Approximately 240 students participated in the program during the 2024-25 school year, but the student count is expected to grow to around 330 next year. Many find the program offers an opportunity to not only broaden skills, but make lasting connections with leaders in a particular field that may lead to future job opportunities. In some instances, students are ready to begin working after graduation. Students going through the two-year healthcare pathway are able to study to become a Certified Nursing Assistant and be certified to work in that field is one example he gave.

Nutter said new mentors are always being recruited for the four pathway areas, as well as business and community partners who would like to support MNCAPS and students in other ways. Guest lecturers are always welcome, as are donations of consumables used in the healthcare and trades pathways, and hosting student visits so they can learn about how a company operates.

While Nutter’s position will be eliminated at the end of this school year as part of the district’s recent budget cuts, he has been hired as the superintendent of Wright Technical Center for School District 966, a cooperative vocational initiative that serves eight districts in Wright and Sherburne counties. His current duties will be assigned to other staff members. The Prior Lake program will no longer operate in partnership with Farmington High School following that school district’s elimination of the MnCAPS offering, also due to budget trimming. All MnCAPS classes offered by the Prior Lake-Savage School District will be taught at Prior Lake High School in the coming year.

“The pendulum is swinging,” Nutter said. “While the majority of students still sign up to go to a four-year college after high school, more and more are finding it’s acceptable to take a different path. MnCAPS offers a collaborative and supportive environment that allows students to establish new connections in their areas of interest. Some are already an entrepreneur and focusing on what’s next in their future.”