County of Imperial, California

Quarterly Report from January 1, 2000 to March 31,2000

 2000Foundation of State School-to-Work System

Our vision for the School-to-Work program is to integrate and build upon existing school-based and work-based programs and connecting activities within a comprehensive framework of a K-16 core career curriculum and five career pathways. Pathways will be supported by an array of business/education partnerships. The pathways and partnerships strategy will fully establish academic/career pathways which link to a core curriculum Career exploration, awareness and identification of interest will be integral project components.

Strong collaboration between public and private partnerships is recognized as a strength for our area. Mainly because of the small city/town composition of the County, this characteristic lends itself to establishing active community partnerships. Many partnerships are already in place and a number of collaborative efforts are in existence. These include an Interagency Steering Committee, the Local Coordinating Committee, the Imperial Valley Employer Advisory Council and the Business/Education Workforce Coalition.

• Contacted employers to participate in National Groundhog Job Shadow Day
• Participated in the School Career Conference at Imperial Valley College for middle schools and junior high schools
• Attended the California Center for Border and Regional Economic Studies (CCBRES) discussion workshop "Employment Issues in the Imperial Valley-Mexicali Region" on January 12, 2000
• Met with Director of "Imperial Valley Kids News" on Fox-TV to discuss linking their activities with School to Career
• Met with various entities to discuss feasibility of Computer Aid Design employment opportunities
• Meet on monthly basis with the Calexico Family Resource Center Collaborative and discuss School to Career activities in the community
• Participated as a "School to Career" exhibitor at the Imperial Valley Expo "Business Showcase 2000"
• Attended on January 24, 2000 in Sacramento, CA the Regional Communication Coordinator’s Meeting to discuss "best communication and outreach practices" developed to impact rural communities, needs assessment by local partnerships to development sustainability, barriers encountered by rural partnerships, strategies to overcome barriers, etc
• School to Career staff attended Pomona, CA STC workshop with facilitator, Sandy Sarvis-Broussard on January 27, 2000
• Met with county representative (VIDA Executive Director) to discuss School to Career activities
• Gave presentation to Calexico Chamber of Commerce on "Groundhog Job Shadow Day and solicited employer support
• STC staff planning committee members for Calexico Rotary "Tag-a-long Day" for Calexico High School seniors
• Attend monthly School to Career Imperial Valley Business/Education Coalition Steering Committee meetings

February 2000

• Placed 70 students for Groundhog Job Shadow Day February 2, 2000
• Edwin Obergfell, STC Coordinator and Deborah Harrold, STC Employer Coordinator, along with a teacher’s assistance took 16 Heber Junior High School students to United States Customs at the Port of Entry in Calexico, CA for a tour from 9 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. They learned general requirements in order to be hired by U.S. Customs and then were introduced to the various jobs that Customs offers. The officer in charge explained that U.S. Custom’s mission involves not only drug interdiction but also a wide range of import/export inspection, collection of duties, and the inspection of personal goods being brought into the country, along with working closely with other Federal agencies to ensure the overall security of U.S. borders. The students were especially impressed by the U.S. Customs dog "Randy" and his agent trainer. At the end of the "job shadow" session, each student received a U.S. Customs student bad filled with various items such as, sunglasses, pencils, squeeze balls, refrigerator magnets, and reading material
• Conducted two STC workshops to Calexico Teen Conference held at San Diego State University on February 26, 2000
• Met with Imperial County Sheriff to discuss School to Career activities
• Attended Imperial Valley Employer Services Team (IVEST) meetings
• Met with principals of Calexico High School and Aurora High School to discuss mini-grant goals and objectives, conferences, career fairs, career centers, portfolios, etc.
• Participated in the Calexico Rotary "Tag-a-long Day" where 45 Calexico High School seniors "job shadowed" for the morning and met for a congratulatory luncheon where students and employers were recognized for their efforts.
• Met with principal of Mains Elementary School and discusses various aspects of Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant
• Met with School to Career site leaders
• Met with California Highway Patrol and U.S. Border Patrol
• Attended the "President’s Interagency Task Force on Economic Development" meeting in Calexico at San Diego State University
• Exhibited School to Career at NAFTASHO on February 10, 2000
• Attended El Centro and Calexico Chamber of Commerce meetings
• Met with Vice-Principal of William Moreno Junior High School to discuss School to Career activities
• Met with Aurora High School STC site leader
• Planned Heber School District activities with STC site leader
• Met with Heber School District interim Superintendent
• Met with Calexico High School principal regarding STC mini-grant goals and objectives
• STC staff attended California Career Pathways Consortia Sixth Annual Statewide Conference on February 27 – February 29, 2000 in Anaheim, CA
• Attended monthly Steering Committee meeting February 14, 2000
• Attended monthly Family Resource Center Collaborative in Calexico, at San Diego State University

• Academic Specialist, Elena Castro was introduced to the School to Career staff
• Met with Calexico Unified School District staff to discuss planning of the March 30^th Employer Symposium
• Met with William Moreno Junior High School department heads
• Met with teachers and staff at Mains Elementary School
• Attended monthly Steering Committee meeting March 6, 2000
• Met with Calexico High School counselor and career staff technician regarding student internships
• Met with Calexico Chamber of Commerce regarding March 30^th Employer Symposium
• Provided connecting activity for all UROG schools through the Women’s Leadership Coalition "Women Working Their Way Through History" a program highlighting Women’s Occupational History and Achievement
• Discussed with the newly hired Heber School District Superintendent, Dr. Gloria Alkire the Heber mini-grant goal and objectives, conferences, career fairs, career centers, portfolios, etc.
• Met with Mexmil Corporation to discuss participation in Employer Symposium and STC collaboration in other components of the program
• Attended Academic/Vocational Integrated Curriculum Conference in Las Vegas, NV on March 13^th – 16^th, made arrangements to have 14 teachers attend the conference
• Met with Academic Specialist and Federal Project Manager from CUSD to discuss Employer Symposium and other STC components
• Gave presentation to Calexico Chamber of Commerce to solicit support from the business community for the March 30^th Employer Symposium
• Created Employer Symposium workbook consisting of welcoming letter, agenda, education and business development panel discussion, cluster group introduction and instructions, cluster group assignment outlining strategies to affect business/industry workforce development through education and a list of all the participants in the symposium
• March 30^th Employer Symposium – 45 educators, 30 businesses, and 18 agencies represented.
• Television station KSWT, Channel 13 and the Imperial Valley Press newspaper reported on the Employer Symposium

The Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant project will allow us to enhance our efforts through the incorporation of support measures which include the following: a continuum of school-based and work-based activities to ensure accessibility for all students; ongoing staff development for the teachers at all four school sites; job shadowing opportunities for teachers, counselors and administrators and curriculum development to promote integration of vocational and academic subject areas.

Our School to Career/Work plan is designed to address the unique characteristics of our high poverty, at-risk students. It promotes the inclusion of all students, college-bound, gifted, talented, disable and out of school, through a relevant and rigorous curriculum tied to high standards.

The Academic Specialist was presented to the School to Career staff on March 3, 2000. She will be working closely with the STC Coordinator and the STC Employer Coordinator to implement the UROG School to Career components.

School to Career is following procedural standards set by Calexico Unified School District and Heber School District. Paula Wilkerson, the State and Federal Project Director at Calexico Unified School District oversees the work by the School to Career Coordinator, the School to Career Employer Coordinator and the Academic Specialist.

Dr. Gloria Alkire, the Superintendent for Heber School District was appointed to her new position the beginning of March 2000. She will oversee the Heber School District portion of the Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant.

Mary Camacho, the Superintendent of the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program oversees the management and direction of the Urban/Rural Opportunities grant.

Edwin Obergfell, the School to Career Coordinator and Deborah Harrold, the School to Career Employer Coordinator have met with staff and community based organizations to garner support for the success of this grant. They plan to continue their efforts to attend meetings, make presentations and be visible in the community and schools so that School to Career will become an integral part of each school site. The Academic Specialist has been meeting with school site coordinators, teachers and administrators to become familiar with the components of the grant and integrate the academic standards with the program.

As of March 31, 2000, Edwin and Deborah have been operating without the assistance of clerical support or staff. However, for the Employer Symposium, Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program and Calexico Unified School District gave staff assistance to help with the event.

The County of Imperial Administrative Office has the responsibility for the Systems Management of this grant. Therefore, the Project Director, Jennifer Mowbray oversees the fiscal management (with CAO staff member Emma Sanchez) and ensures that the DOL quarterly reports are due by the report due dates.

The schools have been very supportive in our endeavor to incorporate School to Career into their academic and vocational curriculum. The more time we are able to spend in the schools and community, the more we learn about how we can accomplish our own agendas.

Through the School to Career events from January through March, we were able to create and strengthen local partnerships for business/industry, community-based organizations and educators.