The Keith Bell Opportunity Central (The OC) was recently featured on the nationally syndicated program TODAY on NBC for a segment called, “Class Acts.”
“A TODAY show producer reached out as they heard about The OC and its innovative influence on shaping relevant education for students - particularly high school students,” said Susan Johnson, Executive Director of the Forney Experience and Marketing for Forney ISD. “The story is really told from the students’ perspectives so the audience gets a sense of the impact that The OC is providing.”
Opportunity Central focuses on three main areas of opportunity - Career, College and Community. It is the impact of the community integration with business partnerships and studentrun operations that creates the synergy between stu-dent learning and real life experiences.
“All aspects of operating a business include valuable knowledge and insight often difficult to grasp in a traditional classroom setting,” said Robyn Pearce, Chief of Innovation for Forney ISD. “By allowing students the opportunity to be exposed to the front lines and behind the scenes of business operations, they are learning valuable skills that they will take with them throughout their future career.”
There are numerous programs of study offered at The OC - from Automotive to Cosmetology, from Marketing to Engineering - the concept is to pair students with a business in The OC, or surrounding area, to integrate practicum experiences with classroom instruction. The OC has a professional salon, automotive shop, four eateries, a coffee shop, several retail shops, a design and print shop, a t-shirt design and printing location, a makerspace, esports lab, computer coding center, and much more coming soon.
The filming for the TODAY show was an entire day of interviews with students, teachers, and business owners for the four-minute show segment.
The OC is one of 26 campuses within Forney ISD, located 20 minutes east of Dallas. In addition to career and college training for students and the community, the multipurpose facility is available for large and small scale events with a 6500seat arena, 550-seat black box theater, art gallery, as well as multiple classrooms that can be used for breakout sessions.
The OC is open seven days a week to the public. Business service providers, retail shopping, and eatery hours vary. For information on The OC, visit the website at theOC.net.
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