Monroe High School students will have what is called “an unbelievable opportunity” to take free Geographical Information System (GIS) training at MHS which will lead to a paid summer internship in the Monroe community.  MHS is the only county school offering this opportunity.

     Geospatial technologies include such disciplines as Geographical Information Systems (GIS,) Global Positioning Systems and Remote Sensing.  MHS has access to this unique opportunity due to the involvement of one of its science teachers in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.  This initiative provides teachers and students access to those geospatial tools. 

     “ESRI, the nation’s leading designer of mapping software, has made available to us free access to their professional-grade software and on-line-training,” said Monroe High School science teacher Russell Columbus.  “This is an unbelievable opportunity.  This is equivalent to a major software company offering all of its technologies and trainings to design apps for free. 

     “This is the geospatial software that nearly all professionals in the field use now, and it also comes with the promise of a paid internship.  For our Monroe High kids, this is pretty incredible, really,” Mr. Columbus said.

     Mr. Columbus will hold an informational signup meeting for Monroe High School students who are interested in applying after school on Thursday, Feb. 18, in the Learning Commons.  Mr. Columbus will help interested students enroll in the program with the assistance of grant administrators and then mentor them as they complete training.  Successful candidates will be placed in summer internships this summer, paying them as much as $10 per hour for eight to 12 weeks of work of 20 hours per week in their internships.

     The NSF grant-funded GRACE project is a collaboration involving various organizations including Eastern Michigan University and Michigan Virtual University, with which Monroe Public Schools works closely on various ventures.  The objective of this grant is to expose students to this technology which serves a fundamental role in providing emergency services, transportation and urban planning, environmental hazard management, resource exploitation, military operations and the conduct of relief organizations.
     Parents or students who have questions prior to the informational meeting can contact Mr. Columbus via email or call him at 734-265-3524.