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The two classes of Law, Public Safety & Security students at Pima County JTED recently attended the Cops and Rodders Car Show at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. Students were able to interact with police officers from many different departments at Tucson Police Department. Two girls from San Manuel are taking the class. Jazelle Sanchez (pictured in the center front) graduated from San Manuel High School last year. Lauren Carnes (pictured two students to Jazelle’s right) is a junior at Sky Islands High School but lives in San Manuel.
Jennifer Carnes | Miner
San Manuel Miner
Can you imagine graduating from high school with a certification under your belt, ready to take your place in the workforce? You can leave high school with Emergency Medical Technician certification and be ready to start working on an ambulance crew or at a fire department. Or learn cosmetology and be hired at a salon right out of high school.
What if you are interested in engineering and want to see if it is right for you? Instead of waiting until college to see if it’s a good fit, why not try a survey course before you ever leave high school?
Students at Mammoth-San Manuel School District have just that opportunity thanks to a wonderfully free program offered to them just because their parents live in the district or because they attend San Manuel High School.
The Pima County Joint Technical Education District (JTED) is a public high school district that offers premier, tuition free Career and Technical Education programs to sophomore, junior and senior level students. The classes are paid for by property taxes, which on an average home in San Manuel totaled $2.10 for the entire year. The district serves students from public, private and charter schools. Students who are home-schooled, have their GED or are in the process of earning a GED are also served by the district. Students can continue taking the classes after graduation up until the age of 22.
The classes are designed to make the student job-skill ready. Some of the programs provide college credit, internships, paid internships, scholarships and certifications. There are currently 23 career focused programs offered at the ten JTED campuses located throughout Tucson. JTED classes can also be taken at the satellite campuses located at all the public high schools in Pima County, Santa Cruz Valley and at the San Manuel High School.
The programs include: 3D Animation and Game Design; Agriscience; Automotive Technology; Aviation Technology; Certified Nursing Assistant; Cosmetology; Culinary Arts; Diesel Mechanic; Early Childhood Education; Electrical Power Transmission Technologies; Emergency Medical Technician; Fire Services; Graphic Communications; Healthcare Foundations; Heavy Equipment/Site Construction; Industrial Technology; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety & Security; Medical Assistant; Physical Therapy Aide; Precision Manufacturing; Project Search; and Veterinary Assistant.
At the San Manuel school site, the JTED classes that are offered include wood shop, automotive technology, welding and construction technology.
Some students choose to attend classes at the Tucson campuses. Jazelle Sanchez, who graduated from San Manuel High School last year, has been involved in the JTED program, Law, Public Safety & Security, at the Master Pieces campus in Tucson, located at River and Shannon. Jazelle says she wants to go into Law Enforcement and specialize in child crime. She attends classes two days a week with two Saturdays a month at different locations.
“I highly recommend the program for anyone that wants to go into Law Enforcement,” she said. “It is very helpful.” Jazelle says she will be prepared to go into the police academy when she is finished with her schooling.
Lauren Carnes, who is a San Manuel resident but attends a small charter high school in Tucson, is also a student in the Law, Public Safety & Security program, but at the Camino Seco campus at Camino Seco and 22nd St. in Tucson. She wants to go into crime scene investigation.
Lauren said her favorite part of the class has been the Saturday trips to the Tucson Public Service (Police) Academy.
“I like going to the police academy because we get to see what the training is like,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun doing the police scenarios.”
Any student or parent interested in the Pima County JTED program can contact Terri Simon, SMHS Counselor, at (520) 385-2337 extension 1104 for more information. You can also learn more about JTED at www.pimajted.org.
Parents and students will get a chance to tour the Master Pieces campus in January.
On Jan. 23, 2016, JTED Master Pieces will offer a showcase of programs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. San Manuel High School will provide a bus for students and parents who are interested in visiting the Tucson campus and viewing the programs offered. The bus will leave at 8:30 a.m. from the San Manuel High School football stadium parking lot. Please contact Terri Simon at the phone number listed above to reserve a spot on the bus.
If parents would like to drive to the JTED showcase, the Master Pieces campus is located at: 2855 W. Master Pieces Dr., Tucson, AZ 85741
For more information, visit the JTED website at www.pimajted.org. You may also call JTED for more information: Amy Maklin, counselor at JTED Master Pieces site
(520) 352-5833 for more information on the JTED showcase.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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