RIM OF THE WORLD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT — Extolling the value of CTE and drama

By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor

 

The Career Technical Education (CTE) classes at Rim of the World High School were featured in a big way at the April 17 meeting of the board of trustees.

Members of the board of the Rim of the World Educational Foundation presented two checks to the CTE program: one for $5,000 to Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School for the Rim Reporter program and one for $11,100 to Rim of the World High School for new software for the driving simulators.

“This is what I say to our students,” said Jo Bonita Rains, the Foundation president. “You count so much, we raise money on your behalf to enhance your learning experience. Many community people are not aware of the CTE program. We had a chance this morning to see students engaged in working with the equipment.

“In CTE, students learn skills and can explore their possibilities,” Rains said. She added that people cannot believe a high school has the driving simulators available to students.

“Representatives from Burrtec tried it – they had to be prodded to leave the classroom. And so, we get annual support from Burrtec.”

The Rim Reporter program at MPH is preparing the younger students to feed into the TV-Video Production pathway at Rim High.

Later in the school board meeting, Stephanie Phillips, the coordinator of the CTE program, gave her annual report to the trustees. She shared the seven pathways that make up the program.

• Arts, Media and Entertainment includes two pathways: Graphic Design and TV-Video Production.
• Building and Construction Trades is comprised of Construction Trades, which replaced the former Woodworking class.
• Health Science and Medical Technology is the Medical Core class; when combined with Emergency Medical Responder, it is a two-year pathway.
• Manufacturing and Product Development is Welding Technology.
• Public Services includes Emergency Medical Responder and Fire Technology.
• Transportation is Automotive Technology.

All are two-year pathways except for Automotive Technology, which can be a three-year pathway.

Phillips told the board that the CTE program’s equipment, consumables, supplies and field trips are funded through donations and grants.

The CTE program had a 90-percent completion rate and a 100-percent graduation rate last year. Placement rate was 100 percent – five to seven months after graduation, they call the students to see what they are doing.

There were 473 students enrolled last year in the 15 courses offered. This year there are 483 students enrolled.

Phillips showed the board a slide of the field trips the CTE students had gone on. And she reported they had placed nine students in paid internships – one with the Graphic Design CTE class and eight with businesses and a nonprofit on the mountain.

Three members of Drama Troupe 145 at Rim High School told the trustees about the State Thespian Festival they had recently participated in. During the three-day festival, three Rim students auditioned for Playworks, original plays that had not previously been staged; they attended workshops, such as old-age makeup, beginning juggling, and Australian and British accents; and they watched performances by other festival attendees.

The students also promoted the spring musical the Rim theater department is currently staging. It opened on April 25 and continues on May 2 at 6:00 p.m. and May 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Among the highlights of his report on all the Rim schools, Ethan Smith, the student representative to the board, reported that the fourth- and fifth-graders from Charles Hoffman Elementary School had a blast during their field trip to Riley’s Farm, where they lived history – debating colonial independence and panning for gold. Students at the elementary schools and at MPH were all preparing for state testing.

Students at Mountain High School recently visited Crafton Hills College, exploring career paths like EMT, nursing and the police academy.

Ethan also reported that six students to date have graduated from Mountain High this year. The most recent graduate was Paxton Groff.

Students at both Mountain High and Rim Virtual Academy were in the process of CAASPP testing.

At Rim High, the recent open house and freshman orientation was a big success. Incoming students were helped to choose their classes.

The AVID program at Rim High has been certified for the 2025-2026 school year. Its status has been changed to “emerging schoolwide,” meaning the AVID strategies are being implemented across the campus.

In her legislative report, Trustee Cindy Gardner pointed to AB218 which expands the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits against individuals who sexually assaulted minors. It allows survivors to sue until they reach the age of 40 or within five years of remembering the incident, whichever comes later.

“This bill has good intentions,” Gardner said. “But school districts have cases going back to the 70s and 80s. The people in question are not with the district anymore. Where are the records? It’s almost impossible to investigate something from that long ago.

“The unintended consequences are it could drive a school district into bankruptcy,” Gardner said. She added another bill had been introduced to help mitigate some of those unintended consequences.

“It’s terrifying,” said President Jordana Ridland, “to think we are so vulnerable.”

Gardner added, “We don’t want the settlement of the past to so severely affect today’s students.”

The board approved Resolution 24/25-30 opposing AB887, which mandated a computer science course as a graduation requirement. “We have no opposition to teaching it,” Trustee Jordan Zarate said, “but having it as a graduation requirement when we have computer courses for students to take (doesn’t make sense).”

“Local control can add these courses,” Gardner said, “but to have legislators adding them and adding to teachers’ plates is too much.”

The board also approved the appointment of two additional members of the Measure E citizens oversight committee: Charles Sleichter III and Dana Chapin.