JTED supports
Tucson Values Teachers
|
 |
|
|
|
|
March 31, 2009
Dear Education, Business and Community Partners:
Springtime always brings with it a sense of renewal and re-invigoration. As I drive around the district and see the new blossoms on the trees, new flowers everywhere on the sides of the roads, and of course, lots and lots of weeds, it seems an apt metaphor for the daily ups and downs that we experience from the legislative process as we await our fates of how much to cut from our budgets, and from where we will dig up these funds. All of our districts await these pronouncements from Phoenix, but at the same time, we cannot sit idly by and await the final outcome. We must move forward with what is good for the students of Pima County.
As we wind down toward the end of our second year in existence, we can look back with considerable pride at what we have been able to accomplish in a very short period of time. With the invigoration of spring, we must now put our efforts into creating the new opportunities that our students and parents have requested of us. Our member districts have taken long, hard looks at what their programs are doing utilizing additional funding from the Joint Technological Education District. They are also seeking input from their various advisory committees, offering direction about new avenues to pursue, in order to create new CTE/JTED opportunities within their home "satellite" programs.
JTED is offering a new crop of "central campus" programs where students in the member districts can leave their home campuses and travel to new sites for programs. Like African daises that seem to pop up everywhere, we are starting to see JTED programs and facilities throughout Pima County. We will be offering Nursing Services programs in at least 5 different locations next year. Fire Science and Law & Public Safety, and Security programs will each be offered in at least two different sites - likely northwest and southeast. Aviation Mechanics will be offered at the Tucson International Airport, Electrical Power Transmission will be offered at the T.E.P. facility at Irvington and Alvernon. Cosmetology will be offered in at least three, but possibly four or five different locations, with the largest concentration of students being at our new facility next to our central offices. We will also be offering an array of online courses, starting with a series of Web Design classes. Of course, these courses can be completed from the students' homes and may be particularly attractive to charter school and private school students.
The caveat in all of this, of course, is the final word on the school district budgets from the legislature. We must continue to remain hopeful and positive in our outlook, trusting that in the end our children will not suffer from budget cuts. To quote a line from Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, "Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread around, encouraging young things to grow."
Sincerely,
Alan L. Storm, Ph.D.
Superintendent/CEO
|
 |
Designing success with SolidWorks
|
Palo Verde High School drafting teacher Cesar Gutierrez isn't just preparing his JTED students for jobs in the real world, he's working to make sure they stand out as an employer's top choice.
Recently 11 of Cesar's students took the exam to earn t heir SolidWorks certification. SolidWorks is a 3-D mechanical computer-aided drafting program (CAD) used by approximately 80 percent of the manufacturing industry to design everything from automotive parts and toys to advanced medical equipment and weaponry for the Department of Defense.
In his first year of offering SolidWorks training, four of Cesar's students earned their certification. While that may seem like a small number, consider the fact that out of the approximately 940,000 people who use the program worldwide only 1,000 people have earned their certification.
"This is a professional license engineering companies will want to know these kids earned," says Cesar. "While many people in the manufacturing industry may know how to use SolidWorks, it does not mean they are necessarily good at part making."
The test consists of seven questions and students have three hours to complete it. The students who passed are:- Cameron Fierro, Sophomore
- Wyatt Day, Junior
- Chris Hill, Senior
- Hector Molina, Senior
Cesar says he has seen an increase in the number of students interested in mechanical engineering. There were 20 students enrolled in drafting courses last year at Palo Verde, compared to 75 this year. He says JTED funding for programs such as SolidWorks and AutoCad, are essential for producing well rounded students who not only understand theory, but also know the practical applications of what they are learning.
|
| |
C-CAP offers a recipe for scholarships
|
Move over Top Chefs. Five JTED culinary arts students turned up the heat and won scholarships and monetary awards in the Career through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Finals at the Arizona Culinary Institute in Scottsdale on March 21.
Canyon Ranch Chef Tracy Fierros (far left) helped the following students (in photo from left to right) prepare for the competition:
· Stephanie Sherrill, Sahuarita H.S. 
$1,000 prize
Teacher: Elizabeth Nemeth
· Sabrina Allen, Canyon del Oro H.S.
$5,000 and $32,000 scholarship to
the Art Institute of Phoenix
Teacher: Patti Schmalzel
· Heidi Jaenicke, Flowing Wells
$2,500 prize
Teacher: Yvonne Bernino
· Claire Wellhouse, Catalina Magnet
$2,000 prize
Teacher: Connie Campbell
· Allison Maxwell, Canyon del Oro
$42,000 scholarship to the Scottsdale Culinary Institute
Teacher: Patti Schmalzel
Chef Richard Grausman, a nationally renowned culinary authority, author and former United States representative of Paris' famed Le Cordon Bleu, created the C-CAP competition in 1990 for high school juniors and seniors. He was one of eight judges on hand critiquing students on knife skills, safety, organization, sanitation, appearance of food, and flavor.
This year, 92 students competed in the semi-finals and 31 moved on to the finals. The finals competition included an entrée of Poulet Chasseur avec Pommes de Terre Château (Hunter's Chicken with Turned, Sautéed Potatoes) and Crepes a la Créme Patissiere avec une Sauce Chocolat (Dessert Crepes with Pastry Crème and Chocolate Sauce). |
| | Bon appetite 101
|
A student may gain enough business acumen in school to land that important first job interview, but then tragically dash any chance of landing the job if he or she doesn't know a few points about dining etiquette. That's why more than 100 FBLA students (Future Business Leaders of America), representing six high schools, took a course on business dining at Tucson Unified School District's Catalina Magnet High School from Business Management and Administrative Services instructor Corene Johnson this month. Catalina's Culinary Arts students prepared a sumptuous breakfast for the business students to enjoy while they learned important things such as, why do I have all these forks?
Pueblo High School students reinforced the curriculum with a Jeopardy-style game. Categories included Making Introductions, Business Meetings, and Business Etiquette. |
| |
JTED capitalizes on opportunity to expand
|
JTED tripled the size of its Central Campus this month when it closed escrow on two new buildings located adjacent to the District Offices/Central Learning Facility at 2855 W. Master Pieces Drive, (near River and Shannon Roads).
The 10,000 square-foot building next door, at 2843 W. Master Pieces Drive, was purchased from Master Pieces Puzzle Company for approximately $1.53 per square foot. The puzzle maker is leasing approximately 60 percent of the space back from JTED. The $1.8 million sale included a 1.1 acre lot located east of the building. JTED will use the newly acquired space for Law & Public Safety, Fire Science and Construction classes, as well as Staff Development training for career and technical education (CTE) teachers in JTED's 11 member districts.
JTED Superintendent/CEO Alan Storm, Ph.D., says, "We've had a significant increase in our pre-enrollment applications for all our Central Campus program offerings this year, which speaks to our success and the demand for our programs. These new purchases will allow us to fulfill the wishes of the taxpayers who voted in favor of enhancing and adding CTE program offerings to more students in Pima County." Dr. Storm says he'd like to see construction students eventually build their own classroom on the vacant lot.
The third acqui sition is located at 5850 N. Seanifer Drive, directly north of the former Master Pieces Puzzle building. The 10,000 square-foot facility was purchased from CCS Systems for the same price per square foot as the aforementioned building. CCS Systems, which specializes in home electronic networks, entertainment, security, and central vacuum systems, is leasing nearly 60 percent of the building from JTED. The District will construct and operate a cosmetology school in the new space.
JTED Chief Financial Officer Tina Norton, says, "The depressed real estate market afforded JTED an incredible opportunity to expand its campus as needed and secure a bargain for taxpayers in Pima County." She adds, "The fact that the sellers were looking to become tenants means our District is also able to generate revenue until we need the additional room for future growth."
|
| |
Student of the Month: Victor Hernandez
|
Victor Hernandez readily admits he was on a troubled pat  h to nowhere. "I was on probation and entering my junior year of high school with two credits when I enrolled in the Marana Career and Technical High School. My teacher told me about the JTED Fire Science Program and I thought I'd try it out. Now I'm doing ok in school, I'm on track to graduate and become a firefighter," he says. In addition to his core classes, Victor attends three-hour evening Fire Sciences classes twice a week at the JTED Central Learning Facility and also spends one Saturday a month honing his firefighting skills and earning certifications including Wildlands, Hazmat and CPR. When Victor graduates, he'll be prepared to take the Arizona State Fire Science test to become a certified firefighter. "I'm thankful JTED gave me the chance to see I was headed in the wrong direction and could do something else. I did some stupid things in the past, but I was able to turn my life around with JTED," he says. |
|
If you have a story idea, comments or suggestions for The Way to Work,
please contact Greg D'Anna, Coordinator of Marketing and Public
Relations.
Sincerely,
Greg D'Anna,
Editor, The Way to Work
|
|
|
