MIAMI HIGH CULINARY TOPS CTE PROGRAM

MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL

Miami High School CTE program helps students prepare for the future

by David Abbott

At Miami High School, real-world education has become a cornerstone of the curriculum. And the school’s Career Technical and Education (CTE) program is key, helping participating students acquire the tools they need for success in post-high school jobs and academic study.

CTE offers an alternative to traditional classroom education, providing students an opportunity to see how the work world functions and also to get a leg up on their entry into the job market or college.

Once known as vocational technical education, or Vo-Tech, CTE is federally and state funded to help students gain proficiency in work and life skills and build their confidence in their abilities to function as adults.

Connecting school to “real” life

MHS’s CTE programs include culinary arts, graphic and web design, early childhood education, journalism, agriculture, construction, and software and app design.

According to MHS Principal Glen Lineberry, students are often more motivated to attend school by sports and extracurricular activities, or because they have a favorite teacher or class, rather than by quadratic equations and five-paragraph essays.

“Through CTE, our kids are guaranteed that at least a few hours of every day, they’re going to know why they’re learning this,” Lineberry says. “When kids believe in the utility of what they’re being taught, for even part of the day, they’ll believe in it most of the day.”

According to ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, CTE is intended to “prepare students to enter the workforce with the academic and vocational skills needed to compete successfully in the job market.”

ASU research suggests CTE reduces the likelihood of students dropping out of high school and increases the chance they’ll be able to hold a job after high school.

Better alternatives for everyone

In the past, Vo-Tech programs targeted students who weren’t expected to succeed academically, and they tended to track young men and women into traditional gender-stereotyped career paths. But modern CTE programs are allencompassing and are considered to be equally beneficial to students who expect to go into the workforce and those who plan to pursue further education.

“We believe that the skill set of how to work and how to collaborate and how to conduct yourself is equally important in a college classroom as it is on the job site, or as it is in an apprenticeship,” Lineberry says. “So it’s not ‘academic’ or ‘low-tech,’ it’s clear thinking, accurate description and proper use of mathematics and arithmetic. These things all tie together.”

In addition to offering alternatives to students, CTE helps generate classroom funding. Arizona schools are required to provide “non-traditional” programs for students – meaning boys will get a foundation for become teachers, for example, while girls might learn the basics of construction. And schools are financially rewarded for doing so, under the Perkins Act, which allocates federal funding for participating students.

Lineberry says those funds are discretionary – they can be used for classroom instruction related to CTE or to build infrastructure, such as the school’s commercial kitchen for the culinary program, a greenhouse for agricultural courses, or a technical center for the graphic design program. Funds can also be used to send students to leadership training conferences.

The Culinary program at Miami Highschool caters local events as well as serving students and staff at their ‘local cafe’ set up in the classroom.

The students are a mix of 10th through 12th grade. Left to right: Front Row (on one knee): Eric Troglia, Sebastian Freeman, and David Barragan. Second Row: Iasic Castillo, Serenity Verdigo, and Kayla Green. Back Row: Cesar Yniguez, Jaxon Silvers, Jeffrey Sanders, Juan Ramirez, Dan Hill

New leadership coming to MHS’s CTE program

Lineberry is currently serving as director of the CTE program at MHS, but this fall he’ll be handing the reins over to longtime instructor Dan Hill. Hill currently leads the culinary program, familiar to Globe-Miami residents as the caterers of many local events.

Hill, who also teaches government and Japanese, has seen positive outcomes and higher wages for students who successfully complete the culinary program. Just having basic certification, such as a ServSafe food safety certificate – a difficult accomplishment – can open up opportunities in food handling.

Hill also believes CTE gives students a sense of what to expect in the “real world” and baseline skills for survival, as they get exposure to the behind-the-scenes operations of business, be it bookkeeping or supply chains.

“I realized I’m not training a team of future chefs, but I am helping kids get a start,” Hill says. “It really gives them some kind of realistic skills. If they go great places in life, great, but if not, they’ve always got something they can fall back on.”

Benefits for students now and in the future

Kayla Tetors is new to the area after moving from the Valley prior to her senior year. She says that not only has the program helped her academically, but it has also smoothed her assimilation to a new community during a major transition in her life.

“I think having that hands-on experience really makes you more comfortable with the people that you’re working with,” Tetors says. “The environment that you put yourself in really helps.”

Jaxon Silvers has been in the culinary program for two years and likes the way it gives him a break from the traditional classroom.

Silvers says he doesn’t enjoy having to spend all day in a classroom, sitting down. “But then you get to come in here and it’s just so much better,” he says. “In class it’s all dark and gray, but then you come in here and it’s colorful. It’s way better.”

Silvers and Tetors also like the end-ofyear field trips, which are paid from the proceeds of the program’s sales throughout the year. Last year, students traveled to San Diego and attended a dinner cruise that allowed them to see how such an event is catered.

Silvers says he may go into a culinary field after high school, and Tetors says she intends to attend college, but they will both leave MHS with experience to help them in whatever they choose to do next.

According to instructor Dan Hill, the Culinary class does five or six events a year. “We turn down more events than that because there just isn’t time to put any more on the calendar and still get our required classwork done.”

Shaping responsible citizens

Lineberry says the district is working to create similar programs for middle school students, albeit on a smaller scale. MHS also partners with Eastern Arizona College’s Cobre Valley Institute of Technology (CVIT), located at Gila Pueblo Community College and the old National Guard armory, for programs MHS doesn’t have the capacity to facilitate.

In the big picture, the CTE program is helping mold citizens to participate in society.

“This is just fundamental to turning out educated students,” Lineberry says. “We’re supposed to graduate people who are ready to go on the job, to go to college, to defend the republic, to raise their own children, and to meet their responsibilities in the community as responsible citizens. We see CTE as an integral part of that mix.”

Dan Hill

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Event hosts, Monica and Johnnie Perez have moved the event to the Gila County Fairgrounds this year to accommodate a growing list of attendees and vendors. Photo by LCGross Detty Rodriguez and the Redeemed Christian Car Club. Courtesy Photo

One of the cars on display at last years event. Photo by LCgross

Lalo Hernandez at last year’s event, always drives out to support this event. His vehicle has over $30K in stereo equipment, to match the exquisite detailing of his car. Photo by LCGross Wings of Hope, Continued from page 1

Suicide rates have increased in recent years

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Between 2000-2018, suicide rates increased by 30%, although there were slight dips in 2019 and 2020, the most recent data available.

In 2020, 45,979 people died at their own hands, about one death every 11 minutes, according to the CDC.

“The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. In 2020, an estimated 12.2 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.2 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.2 million attempted suicide,” the CDC website states.

Demographically, in 2020 suicide was among the top nine leading causes of death for people ages 10-64 and the second leading cause of death for people ages 1014 and 25-34.3. Rural populations and veterans have higher than average rates, as well as those in industrial occupations such as mining and construction.

In 2019, suicide cost the U.S. “nearly $490 billion in medical costs, work loss costs, value of statistical life, and quality of life costs,” but more than 90% of people who survived an attempt never go on to die from suicide, according to the CDC.

According to the Arizona Health Care Containment System, Arizona ranks 20th in the nation for deaths by suicide — 1,359 Arizonans died by suicide in 2020 — and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the state. On average, one person in Arizona dies by suicide every six and a half hours.

The biggest toll, though, is on the people who survive, the web of families, friends and loved ones left to wonder if there was anything they could have done to avert tragedy.

Finding meaning in the aftermath

The first Wings of Hope event took place in downtown Miami in 2016. Monica and Johnnie Perez chose September, Suicide Awareness Month, as a time to honor their son and raise awareness of the issue. They also established a memorial fund called the Angel Perez Wings of Hope Scholarship administered through The Pinal Mountain Foundation for Higher Education.

That first year, the Perez family dug into their own pockets to fund the scholarship and get the program started.

“It was so generous and a huge blessing on my life,” says Alyssa Dickson, the first recipient of the scholarship. “I really respect Monica and everything that she’s gone through and how she has turned something so negative and so difficult into something positive to help the community that she loves.”

Dickson did not know Angel directly, but as happens in small towns, there were many community connections between the two families. Her elder brother was a wrestler at Globe High School and her father was the wrestling coach, so the families knew each other through the GHS community.

The scholarship jump-started Dickson’s career, as she obtained her education degree from Arizona State University. She briefly taught at Miami High School, but has since moved to Flagstaff to pursue her master’s in education.

Suicide awareness is an important message, Dickson says, and she is glad there is an event to bring more attention to the problem.

“I think that our small community really needs that reminder that there’s help, and there’s resources,” she says. “It might be a hard time in your life right now, but it’s not always going to be that way. So many people are constantly comparing themselves and their lives to other people, and it’s not healthy.”

The Legend Continues...

Serving San Carlos, Superior, Miami and Globe for over ten years.

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Luis Pristine (L) owns a barber shop in Mesa and also goes to Superior a few days a week. He helped set up chairs and donated free haircuts at last years’ event. Photo by LCGross

Growing success

The event quickly grew, and after a few years in Miami, moved on to downtown Globe to accommodate larger crowds.

“Now we’re moving to the fairgrounds because we’re out of room downtown,” Monica says. “Our first and second year, we might have had 80 or 90 entries, but we’re pretty much at 100 now.”

The show includes cars, bicycles and pedal cars, in addition to more than 40 vendors selling a variety of food and craft items.

The car show brings car club members from all over the state, including Detty and Jimmy Rodriguez, founders of the Redeemed Christian Car Club in Phoenix.

The couple has participated every year since Wings of Hope’s inception, and the event has special meaning to them, as Detty is a K-8 school counselor and Jimmy Rodriguez has served the Phoenix Police Department for 22 years.

When Johnnie Perez reached out to Jimmy, though, he didn’t realize there was already a Globe connection, as Rodriguez’ parents immigrated to Globe from Chihuahua, Mexico in 1968 to find a better life in Arizona. They moved to the Valley in 1978, but Rodriguez still feels connected.

Through his work as a police officer, Rodriguez has seen the pain those left behind suffer when a family member takes their own life. He has also seen his fellow officers struggle with the same issues.

“In my 22 years in law enforcement, I’ve responded to calls for service that was a suicide or suicide attempt, and no matter the means or the reason for it, it’s always devastating,” he says. “A lot of times we’ll find out maybe it was because of a relationship, finances, terminal illness, or maybe they did something that’s going to bring great shame. Unfortunately, they think that’s the solution.”

Detty Rodriguez has seen it in the youths she counsels as well.

“Anxiety and anger are definitely things that students struggle with,” Detty says. “I have even seen students as young as third grade have suicidal ideations. It’s definitely a concern right now.”

They see Wings of Hope as a way to turn tragedy into a positive for the community.

“You can’t find a more fitting name for the event, bringing hope to those that are lost or are hurting,” Jimmy says. “For them to take something so devastating, so tragic, and to turn it and what they’re doing now speaks volumes of them and their character.”

New date and events for 2023

To facilitate the move to the fairgrounds, the event has moved from its fall date to March 25, a date chosen because it is near to Angel’s birthday of March 23. Perez says the move was made due to the difficulty of scheduling around events like the Gila County Fair, but he also thinks the weather will be better for the crowds that will show up.

In addition to the car show, there will be a cornhole tournament fundraiser taking place in Gilbert on March 4. This will be the third cornhole tournament for Wings of Hope, and is being organized by Renee Alcaraz and the Chief Development Officer for the American Cornhole League, Todd Kisicki.

Alcaraz’ brother-in-law is Angel’s godfather, so for her it is a family affair. She has also helped a good friend who lost a son to suicide. Last year, Alcaraz raised more than $6,500 for the cause, according to Perez.

The tournament is taking place in the Valley in order to be closer to the “cornhole family,” and at a different time of the month so Monica Perez can attend the festivities.

“I incorporated cornhole to raise money,” Alcaraz says. “It started with about 30 people and in 2022 we did two tournaments, one up in Globe and one down here. It just grew and got bigger and bigger as more people got involved.”

Kisicki is donating his facility, Hole 9 Yards, and proceeds from the event, which is expected to draw upwards of 200 participants. He started his cornhole odyssey nearly a decade ago establishing KB Kornhole games and was so successful he was able to quit his “regular job” as an instructor at Arizona State University to devote time to his passion.

Both Kisicki and his wife, Erin, who was a social worker working with high school LGBTQ students, have worked within a community especially hard-hit by suicide.

“We both volunteered with organizations that worked with the LGBTQ community,” Kisicki says. “And we heard stories about those sorts of things and how suicide was always on the back of their minds.”

Alcaraz believes that reaching out to friends or family members who are suffering can make a difference, even if it’s something small to let them know they are not alone.

“My friend Susie Webster always says, ‘shoulder taps,’” Alcaraz says. “You tap somebody’s shoulder and you say something nice to them and maybe that changes their day or their outlook.”

The tournament will open with a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. and will feature Monica Perez talking about Wings of Hope. There will be other speakers and a raffle, and when the beanbags start to fly, there will be prizes in three different categories, from competitive to casual.

The entry fee is $25 and sponsorships are available for $500 per board.

“If somebody can get an education that could not afford one, they have a chance for a better future,” Alcaraz says. “If they can get an education, they’re not going to be stressed and they’re not going to have that burden on them later on in their life.”

To sign up or sponsor the event, go to the Angel Perez Wings of Hope 4th Annual Cornhole Tournament Facebook page or www.hole9yards.com.

Wings of Hope will take place at the Gila County Fairgrounds on March 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature music by Neto and Imagine, vendors, and activities for kids and adults. There will be a raffle with items including a PlayStation 5, big screen televisions, pedal cars, and much more. The Kid Zone will include a foam party and other attractions.

Angel’s Aunt Lucia and Uncle David will have a booth selling churros and elote, as a “labor of love.”

“When you’re there the kindness and generosity is magnified,” Monica says. “There’s a whole spirit there. God really does something different every year.”

The show is sponsored in part by Edward Jones, Dallin Law and Azteca Glass but more are available to help fund the event.

For more information, go to the Angel Perez Wings of Hope Facebook page or Instagram at wingsofhopeshownshine.

For those experiencing a crisis there are resources available at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-TALK (8255) or 988. Information and resources can also be found at www.azahcccs.gov/ suicideprevention.

To date, the event has funded 49 scholarships in Angel’s name, according to Perez.

Alyssa Dickson