Qtr 3 Career Education Newsletter

State of California’s Distinguished CPA Academy Award Recipient - Pacifica High School Culinary Arts Academy

Congratulations to Chef Kristen Collins and the students of the Pacifica High School Culinary Arts Academy on their recognition as a Distinguished Academy!

The Culinary Arts Academy represents the very best of what California has to offer, according to the team at the California Department of Education. "We could not be prouder of your achievement. Across the state, educators in countless academies work tirelessly to provide students with the support and opportunities they need to succeed. However, it is clear that the Culinary Arts Academy at Pacifica High School stands out as a model of excellence."

It takes a dedicated community to achieve this distinction. The CDE team recognizes the teachers, faculty, support staff, counselors, administrators, district support, and industry partners who have fostered a collaborative, student-centered learning environment that exemplifies the core values of a California Partnership Academy. They were especially impressed by your team’s camaraderie, strong cross-curricular connections, and deep industry partnerships that provide invaluable mentorship and internship opportunities. The sense of community and belonging among the PHS Culinary Arts Academy students—cultivated through the co-horted classes is "truly remarkable." The commitment to excellence, inclusion, and student success is inspiring.

More information can be found about the Pacifica High School Culinary Arts Academy on Instagram, @phs_culinaryartsacademy.

The Pacifica High DREAM Team teacher cohort on stage at Educating for Careers.

Pictured left to right: Ceinwen Bushey, CDE, Billy Smuck (English Language Arts), Ramon Rodriguez (Social Science), Gina Rodriguez (Social Science), Chef Kristen Collins, Candi Holva (English Language Arts), and Sam Badalof (Science). Not pictured: Jon Balden (Social Science.)

The Culinary Arts Academy teacher cohort at Pacifica High School was honored at the Educating for Careers Conference in Sacramento, where they were recognized by Ceinwen Bushey, Education Program Asst. at the California Department of Education (CDE). The academy was named one of only two California Partnership Academy programs to receive the Distinguished Academy award, a testament to the team's outstanding commitment to student success and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

40th Annual OUHSD Career Education Career Expo a Huge Success!

The Career Education department proudly hosted the 40th Annual Career Expo, bringing together over 100 industry partners and more than 500 students for an exciting day of career exploration and networking. This event was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the OUHSD College & Career Technicians, who played a key role in recruiting both students and presenters. A special thank you to the Wellness & Inclusion Department, Oxnard Rotary, and all our industry partners for their generous donations and support in making this event a success. The Career Expo continues to be a valuable opportunity for students to connect with professionals, explore career pathways, and gain insights into their future endeavors.

Career Center Technicians pictured above: Rogelio Juarez, CIHS, Colleen Nagel, RCHS, Theresa Morales, ACHS, Julie Varde, FHS, Rosa Castellanos, PHS, Viridana Duran, OHS, Vina Robbins, RMHS, Carlos Soto, HHS, and Teresa Telles, Coordinator of Work-based Learning.

Ventura County Hospitality Week: Where Passion Meets Service

Students from the Culinary and Hospitality pathways at Channel Islands, Pacifica, Oxnard, and Rio Mesa high schools took part in the annual Ventura County Hospitality Week during the last week of January. OUHSD CTE Program Specialist Debra Gallagher collaborated with Ventura County Coast CEO Brian Tucker and his team members, Dave Lion and Kristal Silva, to develop an engaging and informative program, providing students with insights into the diverse career opportunities in Hospitality and Tourism, both in Ventura County and worldwide. Ventura County Coast also provided students with professional headshots and padfolios to support their future endeavors. The students and teachers are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such passionate professionals in this dynamic industry. The Rio Mesa Baking and Pastry students, along with teacher Mrs. Cynthia Allen learned about Hospitality Marketing at the Ventura County Coast office, before touring the Crowne Plaza hotel on Ventura's promenade.

The Channel Islands High School Culinary & Hospitality students and teachers, Mrs. Taira Garces, and Chef Juan GarciaSerratos, visited the stunning Ojai Valley Inn, where they enjoyed a fresh pasta-making demonstration at the beautiful Farmhouse and were treated to a delicious lunch featuring freshly made pasta and pesto. Following the meal, Training Manager Rory Fratkin led them on a tour of the resort, showcasing its many amenities. Their experience concluded at the Apothecary, where the students learned how guests can create personalized souvenirs such as candles, soaps, and artwork. Students, accompanied by Chef Kristen Collins, from the Pacifica High School Culinary Arts Academy received a behind-the-scenes experience with the staff at Four Points Sheraton, where they gained hands-on training in banquet setup and room preparation.

Rio Mesa Baking and Pastry students and teacher Mrs. Allen were invited to speak at the Ventura County Coast monthly board meeting. The students prepared to present with Ventura County Coast marketing team, Kristal Silva and Dave Lion, to speak about the results from their interactive workshops. The students were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of their social media and marketing campaigns developed during their visit by presenting the analytics gathered. Maya Garcia, a CTE Ambassador in the Baking and Pastry pathway, has been enjoying all of the work-based learning options her program has offered over the past two years, "the trip to Ventura County Coast and Crowne Plaza was very fun and interactive. I really enjoyed the look into how the hospitality industry works. I think this is really going to help all of us in out journey into the hospitality industry."

RANCHO CAMPANA HIGH SPEED INTERVIEWING EVENT

Career Technical Education teachers at Rancho Campana High School hosted their 9th annual Speed Interviewing event for 10th-grade students in the Engineering, Health Sciences, and Arts, Media & Entertainment pathways. According to Dr. Katie Barry, the Engineering Academy lead and event organizer, a total of 240 students participated, rotating through seven interactive workshops throughout the day, including interview preparation, speed interviewing, interview debrief, college research, resume writing, elevator pitch development, and professionalism.

During the speed interviewing session, 34 industry partners and stakeholders joined the event to conduct interviews with the students. Each student rotated through four rounds—beginning with a practice introduction before answering three distinct interview questions—gaining valuable real-world experience in professional communication.

Congratulations, Hueneme High Medical program!

Hueneme High School's Medical Pathway Teacher Ms. Nicole Lopez was awarded $20,000 from Kaiser Permanente. The grant funding will be used for supplies for the new CTE Anatomy course, based on evidence presented about community health needs. Ms. Lopez has been building a partnership with Kaiser Permanente over the last 2 years. "They are very interested in our medical program and want to support us," stated Ms. Lopez.

The grant money was used to purchase lab supplies and a field trip for the anatomy and physiology medical class. Ms. Lopez hopes to obtain future funding for an Anatomage table, which costs anywhere between $60,000-$100,000, for students to have a more advanced, interactive learning experience to enhance their understanding of human anatomy.

Description of the grant: Kaiser Permanente uses Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) to identify and measure the health of communities and the social, environmental, and equity factors that impact them, to understand the strengths and assets already present, and to amplify community voices.

To learn more about the HHS Medical pathway go to Instagram @hhs_medicalpathway or contact:

Ms. Nicole Lopez, nicole.lopez@oxnardunion.org or Mrs. Rosa Soliz, rosa.soliz@oxnardunion.org

Channel Islands High School Welding Pathway - Grand Opening

The Welding Pathway celebrated its grand opening, showcasing the state-of-the renovations that have transformed the Welding Shop into a top-tier facility. The event began with Assistant Principal Wendi Butler recognizing the dedication and hard work of CTE Instructor Juan Rodriguez for his contributions with building the program, prioritizing student relationships and establishing connections with local industry partners and post-secondary apprenticeship and educational programs.

Superintendent Dr. Tom McCoy addressed an audience of students, parents, industry professionals, and local dignitaries, including Oxnard City Council member Gabe Teran and Atticus Reyes, representative for Assemblymember Steve Bennett. OUHSD school board members Genevieve Flores and Linda Baker-Torres were also present, participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony and touring the facility alongside student leaders from Mr. Rodriguez's program. Mr. Rodriguez took to the podium to share inspiring stories of students searching for a career focus and through the program, found success in the Welding industry, securing well-paying jobs and bright futures. Director Phillippe ended the presentation by recognizing key partnerships that secured the required facility upgrades; the community support with Measure A, the K-12 Strong Workforce grant that provided state-of-the-art equipment and support, and Lincoln Electric and AirGas, who donated welding hoods to students in the CIHS Welding program.

The celebration was further enhanced by the delicious appetizers provided by the Pacifica High School Culinary Arts Academy and balloon decorations made by the Welding CTE college tutor, Jasmine Hernandez, adding a special touch to the event. After the ceremony, attendees were guided through the shop by student leaders, offering a firsthand look at the impressive new facility.

HUENEME HIGH ROBOTICS LEADS THE WAY IN FIRST Robotics COMPETITION SUCCESS

Hueneme High School’s rookie robotics team made an impressive debut, earning top honors as the highest-placing team in the district at this year’s Ventura Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Teams from Hueneme High (HHS) lead by Mr. Jonathan Soto, Adolfo Camarillo High (ACHS) led by Mr. Jeff Jackson, Oxnard High (OHS) led by Mr. Joseph Dawson, Rio Mesa High (RMHS) led by Mr. Michael Eckberg, Pacifica High (PHS) led by Mr. Gheorghe Ceara, and Rancho Campana High (RCHS) led by Ms. Karen Kikuchi, showcased their competitive spirit, hard work and innovation, throughout their matches. Student energy was high throughout the event, as months of learning and hands-on application came to life on the competition floor. Student cooperative spirit proved invaluable and is widely credited for the strong performance across all teams.
Behind the scenes, instructors played a critical, "often dedicating 20-40 extra hours a week, to support students, especially as the competition approached," according to instructor Jeff Jackson. "Many teachers worked with students 14 consecutive days leading up to the competition ensuring their teams were ready for every challenge. " Their dedication and mentorship were instrumental in preparing students for success.

In the weeks leading up to the event, students were hard at work finalizing robot designs and preparing for the challenge. Highlights include:

ACHS successfully engineered a scoring mechanism and began programming autonomous functions, while also designing a last-minute climbing system.
HHS, in their first year, built an advanced robot with the support of a dedicated mentor, showing remarkable progress as a rookie team.
OHS focused on optimizing their compact swerve drive robot, refining scoring systems to maximize performance.
PHS leveraged the support of alumni mentors to implement advanced programming features, continuing their tradition of excellence.
RCHS took on the challenge of a complex swerve drive system and made strides in design refinement, aided by the new district collaboration model.
RMHS, also a rookie team, showed determination and resilience—overcoming inventory shortages and building a working chassis with a small but committed team.

Through this experience, students gained invaluable real-world skills in engineering, programming, teamwork, problem-solving, and project management, skills that will serve them well in future academic and career pursuits. OUHSD is proud of all teams and their instructors for their incredible dedication, collaboration, and innovative spirit.

FOUR OF SIX ROBOTICS TEAMS (ACHS SCORPS & RCHS REAPERS not pictured)

HHS THUNDER VIKES

PHS TRITRONS

OHS METAL JACKETS

RMHS ROBOTICUS

Rancho Studios SLE

The Rancho Studios SLE/Advanced Photography students are practicing their simulated work-based learning by "cold" emailing potential clients with their marketing flyer and a link to their professional portfolios, closing the sale (aka "signing the contract" and providing an invoice), client consult, photoshoot, image editing, and delivery of final product (photos). For this project they are responsible for securing their own client to work with and are simulating real world business practices to prepare them for working in the field as professional photographers.

The students were grateful to have been able to work with staff members Jon Sachs, Nadia Ameri, Daniel and Nicole Cook, Sarah Eglitis, and Katie Barry who volunteered to receive targeted marketing emails and to work with student photographers as clients for photography services.