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State and American River College with the opportunity to earn up to three years of college credit by high school graduation.

At the groundbreaking ceremony in February, Mayor Darrell Steinberg was one of several speakers excited about Dobson’s vision.

“This charter school is going to combine academic rigor and also preparing young people for high wage jobs in the trades,” Steinberg said, “and it’s the exact kind of model we have to replicate not just in Sacramento but throughout the state and the country.”

Also appearing at the groundbreaking was Ken Wenham, president and CEO of Roebbelen Contracting Inc. He’s on the school’s board of directors, along with contractors and officials from SMUD, California Department of Transportation, Teichert, McCarthy Building Companies, Turner Construction, building trades and other local companies.

According to a news release, Roebbelen donated more than $150,000 for naming rights to the academy, one of a number of local firms making sizable donations.

“Once I met Kevin and understood his vision, I knew our name had to be on the building,” Wenham said. “We are grateful to participate in making this vision a reality and look forward to supporting the learning effort at the Roebbelen campus.”

The groundbreaking event attracted 14-year-old Coral May and her mother, Amy. Coral is interested in attending the new school.

“My mom found out about it and I was kind of on the fence because you hear about charter schools opening and then closing in two years because they run out of money or something,” Coral said. “But this seems really cool and (Dobson) seems to have a lot of great ideas for education.”

As her mom pointed out, “The school has so much community support that it feels worth the risk, especially when you factor in how much you can save on college costs by getting a lot of college credit at the same time you’re in the academy. I think it’s really exciting.”

Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

This mushroom has a strong, nutty, earthy flavor. Its harvest season is short, but you can find dried morels year-round.

To eat: Saute gently in butter with chopped shallots. Add cream for a lovely, light sauce.