April 14, 2008—Ms. Jen Titus, ROP health careers co-op teacher at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, is the sponsor of the school’s new Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter. Last weekend, Ms. Titus and her students attended the HOSA state leadership conference in Santa Clara, participating with 16 other chapters and over 1,200 students in a series of competitive events designed help prepare and motivate students for entry into the healthcare field. The Casa Grande team received top recognition for “new chapter achievement” and five of the school’s students were named state finalists:
Local ROP teacher named state industrial technology educator of the year
April 8, 2008—Gene Karas, an ROP construction technology teacher at Petaluma High School, was named teacher of the year by the California Industrial and Technology Educators Association (CITEA). He was presented with this recognition at the Association’s 79th annual conference in March.
Sign up for our Career Technical Education Conference
This year’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Conference will be held on Wednesday, August 6, 2008. It will highlight educational reform designed to ensure that all young people get the knowledge, skills, and training to achieve at the highest levels in our society. Participants will learn about models for education that combine challenging, college preparatory courses with modern career technical programs to raise the achievement of all students. Learn more and register to attend.
New SCOE publication highlights high school career pathways
February 8, 2008—The Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) has issued a new public service publication that gives parents, students, and community members information about career pathways in Sonoma County high schools. It explains career pathways, offers examples, and lists the pathways available by school. The publication is being widely distributed in the county and is available in both English (pdf) and Spanish (pdf).
The career pathways available to students are developed through a partnership of the Sonoma County Office of Education and local school districts. Many pathway courses are supported by the countywide Regional Occupational Program (ROP), while others are district-funded. Local businesses and agencies help keep these programs relevant and up-to-date by contributing their expertise and providing real-world experiences for students.
El Molino students win top honors at vine pruning contest
February 5, 2008—The Forestville FFA, comprised of El Molino High School viticulture students, was the highest placing team at the annual Youth Grapevine Pruning Contest held on January 19 at Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm. The contest was judged on skill, speed, and safety. Team members included Cole Anderson, Louis Buratto, Jacqueline Chenoweth, Kyle Corbett, JorDann Crawford, James Gromo, and Morgan Mahan. The team was coached by Riggs Lokka. Lynn Scholten is the Forestville FFA advisor and ROP agriculture teacher at El Molino High. Student Kyle Corbett won special recognition, earning top honors in the individual competition.
Two Analy High students win Best of Show for their video production
November 26, 2007—Out of 20 videos in the second annual Young Filmmakers Showcase sponsored by the American Red Cross of Sonoma & Mendocino Counties, current Analy High ROP video student Colin Brant and former Analy High ROP video student Sammy Vanek won Best of Show and a prize of $250 for their original video Breaking Free. This project was also shown at the recent West County Film Festival and submitted to the Mill Valley Film Festival, says Analy High School ROP video production teacher Ann Humphrey.
Six ROP culinary arts students receive ServSafe certification
May 29, 2007—Six students from Ms. Sonja Erickson’s culinary arts course at Maria Carrillo High School have earned ServSafe® certificates. This certificate, awarded by the National Restaurant Association, is the industry standard in food safety training. The following students successfully obtained ServSafe® certification: Yesenia Carranza, Kyle Celeri, Skyler Hoffman, Emily Moniot, Sam Tonelli, and Pamela Uchytil Velasquez.
Construction students win metals at state Skills USA conference
May 11, 2007—Under the guidance of construction teacher Gene Karas, Petaluma High School ROP students achieved gold, silver, and bronze medals at state Skills USA conference. Deanna Medeiros and Arturo Fuentes-Ortiz won gold medals and will compete in the national finals in Kansas City in June. Silver and bronze medals were awarded to the automated manufacturing teams that included Karen Bobier, Ashley Ditmer, Matt Brownell, Steve Boles, Patrick Charles, and Chris Gaul. Deanna Mederios, Paulina Toll, and Graham Farrington competed in speech contests. The following students also competed: Rene Enriquez, carpentry; Brian Gallagher, residential wiring; and Arturo Fuentes-Ortiz, sheet metal. Congratulations to all and best of luck at the national finals!