Made possible by the allocation of a $400,000 limited access grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Lindbergh Schools launched its new Certified Nursing Assistant program at the start of the school year. To celebrate its debut, the district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and course demonstration on Sept. 25.
“We believe our students should graduate with more than just a high school diploma. We want them to have a plus, some kind of other real-world type of experience,” Lindbergh Schools Superintendent Tony Lake said. “We have drone aviation. We have the number one dual credit with St. Louis Community College — last year, we saved our families about $2 million in college tuition. So this is just another example. We truly believe in helping students find their pathways.”
The idea for the new program stemmed from a desire to fill a gap in nursing education. Though Lindbergh has long been partnered with South Technical High School to offer students hands-on early experience in certain career paths, including nursing, it has become increasingly difficult to be accepted into the school’s nursing program. In 2022, 10 students applied to South Tech, and five students were placed. In 2023, 12 applied and two were placed. Last year was the most competitive, with 21 students applying and only five getting placed.
An email from DESE catapulted the project from a dream to a reality.
“Many of you in this room (who) work with Tony Lake know if you get an email, it means you fill this grant out. From the get-go, that is one of the biggest reasons we’re here today, that email that he sent forward,” Jamie Cavato, Lindbergh Schools executive director of Secondary Schools, said. “The program itself responds to both workforce need and … our students’ passion to serve others.”
Other speakers included LHS principal Eric Cochran, who shared that the classroom has become his happy place on tough days due to the positive energy radiating from course instructor Kelly Phares, as well as LHS assistant principal Greg Fick, LHS junior Sierra Dolezal — who talked about how her health journey inspired her to become a nurse — and Phares herself, who emphasized that in addition to gaining technical and clinical expertise, students will learn essential soft skills necessary for the field.
“The Lindbergh CNA program is more than just career training. It’s the beginning of a pathway into healthcare leadership, service and lifelong learning,” Phares said. “Our fantastic kids … just have such a desire to learn, and they have, I think, the most important thing to (have) in healthcare: they’ve got a heart that’s so big.”
