Southern Arizona high school prepares students with technical and life skills

Versión en español

Rio Rico, Arizona – In Southern Arizona, Rio Rico High School prepares its students not only for their future academic aspirations, but also for the real world. Upon graduation, in addition to receiving their high school diploma, students also earn a technical certification in areas such as culinary arts, law and public safety, digital photography and more.

That's exactly what happened with Veronica Ramos, who now works at the Santa Cruz County Jail.

She attended Rio Rico and chose two technical careers as soon as she registered as a freshman — one in law and public safety, and the other in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC).

The school offers its students 10 technical careers, including agriculture, automotive and electronic engineering, sports medicine, business operations, film and television, theater, culinary arts, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), digital photography, and law and public safety.

“I've seen students from all of these programs who are currently managing the city — police officers, military personnel and others who already have their own businesses,” said Jimmy Navarro, the school's director of Career Technical Education (CTE).

From high school to working for the city and county

At the entrance to the classroom where law and public safety are taught, there are photographs of young people who have completed this technical program, graduated from high school and are currently police officers for the city of Nogales, sheriff's deputies or who work for the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Among them is Ramos.

She knew what she wanted to be when she grew up from a young age, Ramos shared in an interview with CALÓ News. As soon as she stepped into the halls of Río Rico, she enrolled in the JROTC program, and in 10th grade, she began studying law and public safety. 

Upon graduation, she sought employment and was quickly hired by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office as a detention officer.

The JROTC program is not specifically designed to encourage graduates to join the military, aiming to teach them discipline, values and leadership, Navarro said and Ramos agreed.

“In JROTC, they teach you discipline, how to be a leader, how to handle a situation and how to talk to people. In the Law and Public Safety program, officers and detectives visit the school to train you. They set up a scenario for you, and you act as the officer, and they guide you,” Ramos said.

Law and public safety is a common choice for students; it's helpful for those who want to pursue a career in law or law enforcement.

Navarro explained that this certification opens the door for them to work in the government at age 18 in areas such as parking enforcement or as 911 emergency call dispatchers. At the age of 20, they can enter the police academy, and at 21, graduate as officers.

Not all students end up pursuing a career in their certification, Navarro said, but they are required to complete a technical program while enrolled in the high school.

Students can pursue up to two technical programs, which allows them to earn more credits if they attend college and graduate early, or they can pursue two technical programs to find employment.

When they graduate from high school, each student takes a Technical Skills Assessment, and if they pass, they receive a certification. If they pass an Arizona State test, they receive a certificate of completion, Navarro explained.

“Those who are passionate about these programs enroll in some classes starting in ninth grade, others starting in 10th grade, and complete the two, three or four years of the program, and most end up working in something related to that field in their career,” Navarro explained.

As an example, he mentioned that this year a culinary arts student was interning at a restaurant and ended up working there. But that doesn't mean he'll stay there; it's just the beginning of his career. His goal is to go to school and work in a five-star restaurant.

In collaboration with local organizations

The Southern Arizona Research, Science, and Engineering organization runs the “Racing the Sun” program, which supports high school students in designing, building and racing electric and solar cars.

Each year, a competition is held among Arizona high school students in Tucson. They provide all the necessary materials, including batteries, solar panels, controllers and everything else needed for students to install them on go-karts and make them move like electric cars.

In addition to the 10 programs offered at the school itself, the Pima Joint Technical Education District (JTED) in Tucson also offers technical careers. These careers include firefighter and EMT training, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, graphic design, robotics and more.

Both the transfer to Tucson and the classes are free for the student, thanks to an agreement with Pima JTED, Navarro explained. Last year, 35 students were transferred from Río Rico to Tucson.

On its website, Pima JTED states that it is a Public Career and Technical Education District that collaborates with businesses, industries and 14 public school districts to offer top-level CTE programs to approximately 22,000 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors each year.

César Barrón is an independent reporter covering the transnational communities of Ambos Nogales. He has over 20 years of experience covering the Sonoran communities.