Hillsborough County unveils district’s first hospitality magnet school at Jefferson High

TAMPA, Fla. - Jefferson High School is officially the district's first Magnet School of Hospitality and Tourism.

What that designation means

What we know:

Basically, the school is taking several of its existing academy programs — like culinary, cosmetology, welding, and criminal justice — and putting them all under one unified umbrella, which is now called the Jefferson High School of Hospitality and Tourism.

It’s likely the first of its kind in the state, Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) superintendent Van Ayres announced at a press conference on Thursday. Starting Monday, 250 incoming magnet freshmen will take a "101 Hospital and Tourism" class in one of the school's four newly designed classrooms. 

More opportunities for students

Dig deeper:

In partnership with Visit Tampa Bay, this new designation aims to connect teenagers with an industry that supports one in five jobs locally and brings in more than $9 billion in economic impact, according to Visit Tampa Bay. 

Visit Tampa Bay said it will leverage its network of more than 1,000 local business partners to offer students guest speakers, field trips, job shadowing, internships, and other hands-on opportunities. 

"When you talk about what's going to happen here, we bring the industry into the classroom. We take the classroom into the industry," Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada added. 

What faculty and students are saying

Local perspective:

Jefferson High School principal Jennifer Canady explained that connecting these seemingly different trades under one hospitality and tourism designation was a natural fit.

"Think about security in every hotel — not just hotels, but the airport. Or the port itself, right? You've got all these cruise terminals here in Tampa Bay. There are so many places where something like that would connect," Canady said. "Or everything on a cruise ship is welded down, right? Cosmetology — most hotels have spas, so that made sense."

Laraina Fernandez, a 17-year-old incoming senior and Student Government Association president, has spent the last three years in the school's Criminal Justice and Law Academy. She said there can often be a time period between when a student graduates high school and when he or she can join the police academy. So working in hospitality and tourism can help bridge that gap.

"Sometimes you just need that career impact in high school that’ll help push you," Fernandez told FOX 13. 

Big picture view:

Separately, HCPS officials announced Sumner High School has a newly enhanced hospitality and tourism classroom, sponsored by TECO.