Home Depot partnership with HUSD yields creative hands-on learning solutions
HEMET, Calif. — With the ongoing, nearly year-long COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis continuing, Cassidy Steenbock, Career Technical Education (CTE) instructor at Hemet High School, has found a creative way to engage students enrolled in Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics with a hands-on Bird Feeder construction project administered in partnership with The Home Depot of Hemet.
“The entire assignment was executed at no-cost to students, thanks to the support of The Home Depot of Hemet who generously donated many of the supplies necessary to complete the project,” Hemet Unified School District spokesperson Alex Sponheim said of the creative project spearheaded by Steenbock.
The success of these projects has been highlighted by the enthusiastic support of students and parents, according to Sponheim.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
“Discarded in the trash”, infant found dead in Perris
Life-long Perris resident ID’d after fatally struck by car
Man dead after violent Lake Mathews altercation, shooting
Crushed between two trucks, one dead after Mead Valley crash
Illegal passing ruled out after Gilman Springs crash that killed mother, injured children
To ensure student safety, Steenbock used classroom equipment to cut and prepare the
materials before coordinating with students and their families to pick-up the supplies needed to complete the online learning project.
“Teachers at Hemet Unified continue to be proactive about seeking creative solutions to enrich the online learning experience for students and families,” said Superintendent Dr. Christi Barrett.
“It’s projects like these that demonstrate the resolve of our instructional team to put students first.”
Hemet Unified School district Agricultural Mechanics student Kolbie Eastman shows off his handiwork as part of the District’s Agriculture Mechanics and Technology Career Pathway. HUSD photo
The Bird Feeder project was just one project in a series of innovative assignments created to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students, according to Sponheim; who said Steenbock hopes to create even more hands-on learning activities as a way to support online instruction.
“Students have made it very clear that they enjoy the change of pace this class offers and appreciate the deviation from taking notes, completing online activities, and watching videos,” Steenbock said; adding that the project’s success was clear after it was enthusiastically supported by both students and parents.
Throughout the country, instructors have been challenged to continue providing hands-on project-based learning activities, a pillar of Career Technical Education programs like Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics; which is a yearlong class that provides foundational skills in agriculture construction and engineering.
Students enrolled in the class learn much-needed and in-demand skills, including carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, as well as gas-cutting, and welding, according to Sponheim; who said that upon successful completion of the course, students are encouraged to continue their learning by enrolling in Agricultural Mechanics 2 as a part of the Hemet High School Agriculture Mechanics and Technology Career Pathway.
Hemet Unified School District offers career technical education courses in several key industry sectors. Through these courses, students have the opportunity to complete career pathways that build a pipeline of workers to support regional workforce needs.
As such, the programs rely on strategic business and community partnerships to advise curriculum, create work-based learning opportunities, and aid in job placements. As Hemet Unified School District continues to prioritize college and career readiness, CTE classes prove to be a win-win for students and the community.
This article sponsored by:
For more information, contact Bill Tyler at Century 21 Full Realty Service.
With breaking news articles, videos, podcasts, opinion pieces and more, Law Enforcement News Network has all the latest news and information related to law enforcement issues across the nation.
Voted Best Independent Sandwich Shop in the Inland Empire by The Press-Enterprise readers choice. Centrally located on N Harvard St in the heart of Downtown Hemet, enjoy over 30 different sandwiches and premium salads. Our coffee is made from locally roasted, Organic Coffee Beans from Idyllwild Coffee Roasters. Come taste the difference that is Downtown Deli & Coffee Company. For more information, visit Downtown Deli & Coffee Co. on Facebook.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Mountain Echo in Shasta County, Riverside County-based newspapers, Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.