Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, Kansas, has completed construction on its Innovation Center, which will open to students on October 14, 2024. The 50,000-square-foot center is part of an ongoing series of construction and renovation projects taking place across the Auburn-Washburn district to enhance the student learning experience. Auburn-Washburn celebrated this historic milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

"This facility is more than just a structure filled with cutting-edge equipment; it represents a bold vision for the future of education,” said Auburn-Washburn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott McWilliams. “It is a commitment to nurturing creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving in our students. The Innovation Center will serve as a dynamic hub for exploration and discovery, equipping our students with the skills and resources they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world."

WRHS currently offers 18 career-focused Pathway programs approved by the Kansas Department of Education. A remarkable 75 percent of students will take at least one Pathway course at the high school. Nine Pathway programs – Animal Science; Comprehensive Agriculture; Power, Structural & Technical Systems; Construction & Design: Construction; Construction & Design: Design; Digital Media; Biomedical; Restaurant & Event Management; and Programming & Software — are housed in the new Innovation Center.

"Each of these programs is more than a subject," said WRHS principal Ed Raines. "They are the means by which we prepare our students for a rapidly changing world. In these spaces, they will learn how to think, how to lead, and how to transform. These are the qualities that will allow them to face the future with confidence and resolve." 

According to the Georgetown Workforce Study, 70 percent of jobs will require specialized skills by 2031, but only 35 percent will require a four-year degree. The center will empower students to engage in hands-on learning, collaborate on real-world projects, and develop the skills they need to meet future challenges head-on. 

Other notable education and workforce initiatives in Topeka include $1.5 million in capital investment funds being used to extend Washburn Tech East, Washburn University’s technology institute. This institute offers training in health care, construction trades, manufacturing, and more. For younger learners, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center’s (KCDC) IF/THEN Collection is the largest free resource of its kind dedicated to increasing access to authentic and relatable images of real women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). KCDC is one of two children’s museums in the United States that have this exhibit and recently announced a $10 million expansion that will double its size to over 30,000 square feet.