PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. -- Students in the Shawnee Mission school district who look forward to a legal career have a program available to help prepare them.

The Legal Studies program at Shawnee Mission East High School gives students an introduction to legal concepts and an overview of related careers, according to the district's Web site.

Reid Frye, 15, is starting his freshman year at Shawnee Mission East. He said he thinks that when he gets out of school, he wants to be a lawyer.

"It pays pretty well obviously, and I like arguing. My parents will probably tell you that," Frye said.

Frye will take part in the legal studies program to see if it's really the right career for him.

John McKinney helped design the program. "The sooner you can kind of set yourself on a path and decide what you want to do and pursue that, the better you are going to be. So I am proud of the fact that we are providing this opportunity for students," he said.

Shawnee Mission East student Chris Savage, 14, said, "I want to know what I am going to do when I get older before I'm like out of college, and haven't done the right courses and everything."

The legal studies class is part of the district's Signature programs. Other programs offered include:

Biomedical Health Science at Shawnee Mission North High School:
The program gives students a look at the health care field.

Biotechnology at Shawnee Mission West High School:
The biotechnology program helps students to develop research skills in the science field.

Broadmoor Technical Center:
Career and technical training includes culinary arts, commercial baking, graphic design, fashion design, multimedia technology, small engine repair, computer networking, and filmmaking.

Center for International Studies at Shawnee Mission South High School:
The program explores intercultural communication, international languages and geo-politics. Language courses are offered in Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese.

International Baccalaureate program at Shawnee Mission East and Northwest High Schools:
The curriculum is designed for academically talented and highly motivated high school students. Students who earn the IB diploma or certificate may receive advanced standing at colleges and universities throughout the world.

Pre-Medical Health Science at Shawnee Mission North High School:
The program is tailored for students interested in a health profession which requires continued education beyond a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Visit the Shawnee Mission district Web site to learn more about the programs.