Students within the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District now have the opportunity to experience hands-on classes at the district’s new Career Technical Education Center located just north of the Elks Rodeo grounds in Santa Maria.
The 25-acre property, which the school district purchased in 2015 for $3.6 million, was paid for with C-2004 Bond funds and Measure H of 2016. The total cost for the center was $26.2 million.
Construction of the center began in July 2018 and was completed last January, but COVID-19 delayed the opening for student use until this fall, opening on Aug. 12.
Students from Ernest Righetti High School, Pioneer Valley High School, Santa Maria High School and Delta High School are bused to the center five days a week for two-hour blocks, three times per day.
Paul Robinson, the district’s director of the Career Technical Education program, said each block has about 60 students, for a total of about 180 students at the center per day.
Once the center is able to operate at full capacity with all classes running, in three to four years, it can accommodate up to 800 students.
“This is all brand new for the district. … Everything is going exceptionally well,” Robinson said. “So far, the feedback we’ve gotten from students is phenomenal.”
Two classes — construction and machine shop — are offered at the center this school year. Robinson said that culinary arts and diesel shop classes will be added to the center next year, along with one other class that is still being determined.
An agriculture barn, livestock pens and six acres of land for crops are also part of the center for Future Farmers of America students throughout the district.
Corn, squash and pumpkins are some crops that are already growing on the center’s land, with pumpkins ready to be harvested soon, Robinson said.
“I’m just blown away — dazzled — by this program and what it will afford our students,” said Glenn Goldin, a special education teacher for the district, who was looking into bringing his students to the center.
For the culinary classes, a large industrial kitchen is available for students to learn large-scale cooking and baking, an upgrade from the home kitchens found in many schools, including Pioneer Valley.
The machine and construction classes are held in large workshops that Robinson calls very dynamic, with lots going on. For example, the construction shop, which teaches both residential and commercial construction, includes several tables with each teaching a different trade, such as roofing, flooring, concrete, plumbing and more.
Students also learn estimation and project management in the construction class.
“It’s quite fun. I’ve been learning a lot,” said Jesus Barriga, a student in the machine shop class, adding that he enjoys the hands-on nature of the classes.
Students learn theory, how to use tools, machines and software, design, and make different things in each class, with the goal of exposing students to a broad range of what the industries can offer.
Robinson said the classes give students an authentic experience, and by the end of the class, students in the construction class will have even built a tiny home.
Not only will students taking classes at the Career Technical Education Center gain experience and high school credit, but some of the classes, such as machine shop and culinary arts, are concurrent with Allan Hancock College classes.
Other classes also will allow students to come out with industry certifications, such as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning certification and a safety certification, as well as forklift certifications, among others.
Robinson said the center will help students get closer to their goals, whether that’s completing credits through Allan Hancock College, preparing for university or making them “good entry-level candidates.”
“It’s a huge step forward,” Robinson said about the CTE program and its new center.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.