Teaching students skills outside of the
”
Three R’s
”
is an important part of a high school’s curriculum.
The Aromas-San Juan Unified School District is in the beginning
stages of building a vocational education building at Anzar High
School.
Teaching students skills outside of the “Three R’s” is an important part of a high school’s curriculum.
The Aromas-San Juan Unified School District is in the beginning stages of building a vocational education building at Anzar High School.
“This was spurred on by the community. In 2001, the Facilities Task Force made it really clear vocational education should be part of the curriculum,” Superintendent Jackie Munoz said. “It would be a draw to keeping kids at our school.”
Vocational education is instruction in skilled trades such as mechanics or carpentry.
In January, Munoz will meet with Anzar’s School Site Council to discuss what programs the school could offer. These could include graphic design and drafting.
“Because we’re a small school, autoshop and welding would not be typical,” Munoz said. The staff would need to make sure enough students would take the classes as well as ensuring there is someone qualified to teach classes, she said.
Munoz said she will visit the vocational education building at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas because the school’s building is multi-use like Anzar’s might be.
Also, because Anzar’s curriculum is heavily aligned with the University of California System requirements, any vocational education program would have to meet UC standards, Munoz said.
“It would have to be curriculum driven,” she said. “It has to meet UC and graduation requirements. This is not just an elective.”
Preliminary plans call for the building to be between Anzar’s ball fields and the 300 building of classrooms. It would probably include restrooms. Munoz will meet with Kasavan Architects, the district’s architect, in February.
