2 healthcare training programs to launch at THS in 2026

Talawanda High School (THS) principal Scott Davie began to lay the foundation of these classes last year by engaging in conversations with both the City of Oxford and Butler Tech. Now, THS is set to launch two healthcare training classes under the Butler Tech Healthcare Science program. 

It was “about the possibility of a combined nursing program that affords students the opportunity  to complete some coursework here that would then put them on the path towards their nursing degree,” said Davie. 

Davie visited other schools in the area that have similar programs in order to see them in action.

The Certified Nurses Aid (CNA) and the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) programs aim to teach and educate high school students about nursing, and train them for a possible future career in healthcare after graduating.

The CNA program, open to juniors and seniors, is a semester-long program that will last for around an hour and a half each school day through bells six and seven – the last two bells of the school day, according to Davie. 

Juniors who complete this program would then be eligible for the LPN program, which would start in the fall of their senior year.

Davie said, “It’s important that we get enough juniors through the CNA course this (coming) year so we are ready to go for the fall of 2026 (LPN program).”

The LPN program, open to seniors, is a semester-long program that would span four hours a day, with the hope of being available to students in the morning block of the school day.

Davie hopes that if enough students sign up, the CNA program could run in both the fall and spring semesters.

Davie added that these programs rely on student signups, and meeting a class threshold set by Butler Tech, who supports this program.

“Right now we are already at eight (students),” said Davie, “and that is before internal advertising,” which includes school counselors sharing information about the program, according to Davie.

Davie said that he has a number of students already expressing interest in the program, but some seats are still open. 

“We would love to have somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to 12 students minimum,” Davie said. “But the program can actually hold up to 20.”

Davie also highlighted the importance of giving back to the Talawanda and Oxford communities.

“One of the things that we are really trying to accomplish here is providing a stable workforce of medical professionals that can support the town and the community on an ongoing basis,” said Davie. 

Davie hopes that these programs can provide not only education, but a workforce to the area. 

“You think about the number of senior centers and medical centers that we have here in the Talawanda community,” he said. “They need good, trained and highly-skilled medical professionals and there’s just not a good pipeline of that for us right now.”