Santa Paula students spotlight health, human-services, engineering and cybersecurity academies

Students and teachers from Santa Paula High School used the district board meeting to showcase four career academies that district leaders say strengthen student engagement and local workforce pathways.

Teachers and students described the Health Care & Wellness Academy, Human Services Academy, Engineering Academy and Cybersecurity Academy, outlining coursework, internships and college-credit opportunities. Mrs. Nordquist, who introduced the Health Care & Wellness program, said students “learn anatomy and physiology and medical terminology” and participate in labs like urinalysis and blood-typing as well as internships at the Westminster Free Clinic that allow “interaction with real patients.”

Jill Go forth, lead teacher and coordinator of the Human Services Academy, told trustees that students enter the program in 10th grade as part of a cohort and complete two 14-week internships in the community; she described dual-enrollment child-development coursework and hands-on lesson implementation at local elementary schools. Meta Davidson, an engineering instructor, said students in the engineering academy build and code robotic arms, draft in AutoCAD and earn college credit through a dual-enrollment partnership with Ventura College. James Hoss, the cybersecurity teacher, described CompTIA certifications and paid internships in which students set up Wi-Fi and security cameras for the district technology team.

Students who spoke emphasized how the academies helped them confirm career interests and gain real-world experience. One cybersecurity student said participating in the program enabled him to place ninth in a state-level networking competition, and engineering students described creating motors and using Revit to render building designs.

The presentations were framed by district leaders as part of broader efforts to keep students in Santa Paula Unified and to expand programmatic offerings that attract families. Dr. David Moore, who later presented on interdistrict transfer trends, referenced the academies as a factor improving retention.

Board members and staff praised the programs’ hands-on components and asked staff to continue reporting on measurable outcomes such as dual-enrollment credits earned and internship placements. The district plans to include academy outcomes in future staff reports so trustees can track whether the programs are meeting enrollment and career-readiness goals.