WHITTIER – Río Hondo College took its CTE Career Exploration Camp into the virtual world this summer, partnering with local school districts to provide hands-on projects for 166 students to work on at home while engaging in online courses.
The program ran from July 6-10 for 70 students from Little Lake City School District, July 13-17 for 48 students from El Rancho Unified School District and July 20-24 for 48 students from El Monte City School District.
Modules included first aid/CPR/public health, MapCraft and STEMify Your Summer, and were created by Río Hondo College faculty and high school teachers. College students who are part of the College’s teacher preparation program – STEM-CTE – assisted with the modules.
In the CPR module, students learned how to recognize and properly respond to an emergency, how to dress a wound, apply a tourniquet and use an automatic external defibrillator. Students received first aid kits to use at home and were encouraged to practice on their siblings.
Nicki Carrillo, an eighth-grader at Potrero School in the El Monte City School District, said she was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the CPR module was for students.
“Originally, I only wanted to do the STEM class, and my mom said I should try out the CPR class and see if I like it. I ended up loving it – the teacher and aides are so into it that it makes you want to do more,” Carrillo said.
“I learned how to put on a tourniquet and yesterday we learned how to do CPR. I want to become a doctor, so it was all pretty exciting for me,” she added.
Priscilla Palencia, an eighth-grader at Durfee School in El Monte City School District, echoed Carrillo’s praise for the CPR module. She said she was encouraged to bring her sister, Durfee fifth-grader Tatiana Palencia. She also practiced her life-saving techniques on Tatiana.
“It is very interesting and entertaining. I’m really enjoying myself. I like the teacher and the class,” Palencia said.
The CPR module was taught by Gabriel Solorio with aides Nia Bertino and Mario Jaramillo. As the online class began, Solorio enthusiastically welcomed each student by name. Bertino and Jaramillo reinforced verbal lessons with written information in the Zoom group chat.
Later, the aides took the lead in the module, answering questions and guiding students as they tackled projects.
The MapCraft module was offered during the first two sessions. Students became spatial detectives, exploring the 1854 cholera outbreak in London and using mapping tools to find patterns and correlations for issues such as pollution and illness in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Palencia said she also enjoyed building projects for the STEM class. Students received kits with material for daily projects involving science, technology, engineering and math. Projects included a catapult and a race car.
“I like building the different projects because I’ve done some class projects in engineering,” Palencia said. “I was voted best engineer in sixth grade.”
Priscilla’s mother, Blanca Palencia, said she urged her daughter to take both modules despite how much time they would take from her summer vacation. She said she liked how much her children learned not only about CPR and STEM, but about college options.
“The class aides are very engaging and they talk about college. They have such a strong rapport with the students,” she said. “Every time she finishes her class, she has so much information to share.”
Dean of Career Technical Education Mike Slavich said Río Hondo College was pleased with how well the combination of online instruction and hands-on projects worked for students.
“We are incredibly pleased with how our virtual summer program has worked,” Slavich said. “The students and the instructors have had a wonderful time exploring new concepts. It has opened the door to possible new careers.”
The CTE Virtual Summer Camp was funded in part by an Edison International, Health Workforce Initiative and Río Hondo College.
PHOTOS
RHC_CTE_1,2: El Monte City School District students display STEM projects created as part of a summer CTE Career Exploration Camp hosted by Río Hondo College.
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RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2020
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