South Tahoe High School Career and Technical Education Pathway Highlight

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students at South Tahoe High School (STHS) have some amazing opportunities to explore careers and learn from highly experienced professionals in the many Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways offered to students. Students learn real-world skills and training in classic courses such as Construction & Engineering, Automotive Diagnosis & Repair, Culinary Arts & Baking, as well as new & innovative pathways such as Sports Medicine, Dental Assisting, Exercise Science, Environmental Science (Forestry & Natural Resources), and digital art courses such as Digital Photography, Digital Art Design, and Video Production & Broadcast.

Insight into the Automotive Diagnosis and Repair Pathway

In the pristine 10-bay auto shop, complete with lifts, tools, a small engine room, and a traditional classroom, STHS draws a host of speakers into the campus. After all the engines die down, the students of CTE Automotive sit down in their adjoining classroom for a dynamic presentation. A few weeks prior, they had an interactive show from a representative from UTI, Universal Technical Institute based in Sacramento. UTI shows off its facility and talks at length about the certification programs and employment training successes. Last week a representative from Truckee Meadows Community College based in Reno, came to offer their broad selection of collegiate certifications and degrees.

Last week, their trusted teacher, Tim Martin, a trained ASE, Dodge, Jeep, and Toyota master mechanic with over 40 years of experience and 15 years at STHS, guided them through a series of industry basics via a video quiz. Tomorrow they may be fiddling with the set of small engines in the engine room adjacent, or they may be watching a truck engine start for the first time in years in the big garage right behind the classroom. Whether they are competing at online quizzes or cheering the loud roar of a fixed engine, these students are getting employment training, hands-on.

The CTE department will look to expand more into the community and professional environments specifically. A big thanks to Jim Bagan Toyota and Peter Francis, a neighbor and partner to the school, for showing a group of CTE automotive students through a real-life functioning, successful auto dealership. You could see our CTE students more and more throughout our South Tahoe Community in the future.

For more information about our CTE programs and how to partner with our internship expansion please contact the STHS College and Career Center at 530.541.4111 ext 1824 or email Paul Loupe at ploupe@ltusd.org.

Paul Loupe is the new CTE Pathway Navigator at STHS. He will be writing articles about the program, as well as student and community opportunities.