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     By Tina Allen
     View staff writer
      At age 14, Katie Mezar has her sights set on becoming a teacher.
      "It's the only thing I've ever wanted to be," Mezar said. "I had really good teachers when I was younger, so it always made me want to go touch someone else, help someone else."
      The high school freshman is well on her way, along with 51 other students, to seeing that dream become reality. All are enrolled in Clark County School District's newest magnet program -- the Teacher Education Academy of Clark High.
      "They are helping create the program," said teacher Kristen Woodall. "With a lot of the activities I'll say, `You guys are my little guinea pigs,' because a lot of times things that don't work well, they let me know that -- things we can improve on next year."
      The School District's growth and demand for teachers in upcoming years is a predominant force behind the program. Since 1991, the number of teachers the School District has hired each year has jumped from 800 to 1,700 and it's growing.
      That demand isn't just limited to Clark County. It's estimated by 2008, schools in the United States will need to hire more than 2.2 million teachers to serve growing student enrollments and to replace a large number of teachers expected to retire in coming years.
      "This really gives them a jump start on their teaching experience because this is a program unlike anything that's available at any of the other high schools," said Woodall, who teaches a course called Communications in Education. "And some of the students may decide that this is not the occupation they want to go into, and it's better that they learn that now than four years down the line when they are in college and they've invested that time. Others, this just gives them hands-on experience and a real-life experience on what the teaching field is going to be like."
      Those in the program attend school an extra hour per day, following a set curriculum for four years. In addition, the students are required to meet regular high school graduation requirements.
      An internship at local schools is in the plans for students in their senior year, but in the mean time, many are volunteering time by tutoring pupils at Wynn Elementary and in special education classes at Clark High School.
      "It makes me feel like I'm helping them a lot, improving their lives," said 15-year-old Lester Lewis, who was told by his mother he had the qualities it takes to be a teacher. "When I was younger I used to have a lot of trouble in my English homework, but I picked it up. And now knowing there are other people like me who probably have trouble, I help them out and give them a start."
      Lewis, a sophomore, plans to attend UNLV or a college in Nebraska and become a special education teacher.
      Students in the academy are members of Future Educators of America, a cohesive nationwide support program for the development of new teachers, sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa.
      Mezar and classmate Erica Drolet recently attended a Future Educators of America national conference in Chicago, in which the school placed third in a poster board competition and third in a scrap book competition out of more than 100 chapters.
      Drolet, who is the secretary for the local chapter, received honorable mention at the conference in impromptu speaking.
      "I've always wanted to be a teacher because I like children, and I'm always really good with little kids, so I decided that would be a good thing," said Drolet, who plans to attend UNLV or UNR and major in special education. "I always wanted to teach so I could help improve lives."