River City students win state medals and describe hands-on technical projects at board meeting

River City High students presented state-level competition results and described the hands-on learning behind their awards at the Washington Unified School District board meeting.

Teacher Sadek Alavi introduced students from the engineering and science academy who recently competed in SkillsUSA and the ACE (architecture, construction and engineering) mentorship program. Senior Sarah Emory, president of the Science, Technology and Engineering Academy, described the state SkillsUSA electronics competition and said the events require soldering, breadboarding, timed troubleshooting and an interview component. She noted that River City students brought home bronze, silver and gold medals this year and credited extended practice hours and teacher support.

Rajat (Rajat Si in the record) outlined the ACE team project: a proposed community center near a new Kaiser facility and the soccer stadium featuring indoor courts, a pool, a gym and flexible study spaces. He said mentors from local firms guided student work in architectural plans, civil layouts, cost estimation and model building; he added that his team won first place and he personally received a $2,000 scholarship tied to the competition.

Board members thanked the students and their teacher for connecting classroom learning to real-world industry skills. The district did not take any formal action on the presentation; administrators said the programs are supported by existing course approvals and overnight field-trip authorizations previously granted by the board.

Why it matters: Career-technical programs such as SkillsUSA and ACE give students experience with industry tools and processes and create pathways to scholarships and postsecondary opportunities. Students and the teacher stressed that hands-on practice, mentor involvement and in-class time beyond the school day were central to success.