Come to class, win a truck

Students gathered in the auditorium Monday to learn that if they have perfect attendance this year, they could win...

... a 2001 Chevy truck!

The truck, which was donated by EVIT governing board member Robert Covington, will be checked out and fixed up by EVIT's own automotive and collision repair students. Students who still have perfect attendance at the end of the year will be entered to win.

Last year, senior Shawntae Swartz won a Chevy Cavalier donated by Steve Marley of Thorobred Chevrolet. Here is Shawntae in her moment of triumph:


Students with perfect attendance also will have several opportunities throughout the year to win other prizes, such as Best Buy gift cards and iPods.

Calling all tour guides

Today is the first day of tryouts for students who want to become campus tour guides, and so far they're off to a great start.

Students from the morning classes got up in front of the group to introduce themselves and talk about the programs they are in and why they want to be tour guides. More than 100 students applied, and the public relations staff can only pick about 15 to 20 guides, but everyone is doing a great job so far.

Students who make it through to the next round will be individually interviewed by staff members. The guides are responsibile for leading public tours for future students, parents and community members. Those who are chosen will get great public speaking experience, something to add to their resumes, and $15 per tour!

Good luck!

EVIT parents kick off new school year

The campus was buzzing Tuesday night, as hundreds of EVIT parents came out to learn more about the school, tour the grounds, and enjoy some refreshments during the annual Back to School Night.

See more photos from the event here.

Congratulations, Miss Graham County!

Former EVIT student Lynsee Germaine is the new Miss Graham County, and she'll go on to compete for the title of Miss Arizona!

It was Lynsee's first time competing in a pageant, which was held at Eastern Arizona College on Aug. 22, and she said she had a great time.

"It started out as something for fun, and I ended up winning it," she said.

Lynsee was a student in the certified nursing assistant (CNA) and aesthetics programs at EVIT from 2006-2008. She's now a sophomore at Eastern Arizona College, studying to become a nurse.

Lynsee gave EVIT a shout-out during the judges' interview portion of the competition. One judge asked her to talk about an inssue that kids today must overcome. Lynsee said many students struggle to stay in school, and that no matter what a student wants to do after high school, it is important to take advantage of opportunities to learn about your field of interest while you're still in high school.

"They need opportunities like that available for them, and I’m just super grateful for the opportunity I had to attend EVIT," Lynsee said.

Germaine won a two-year college scholarship, $500 cash and free dry cleaning for a year. The Miss Arizona pageant will be held in June. Here's a picture of Lynsee with the current Miss Arizona, Savanna Troupe:

Good luck, Lynsee!!

I spy...

... EVIT students hard at work!

Here is Dr. Downey peeking in on a class from her segway vantage point after Friday's "Go Green Garment" Fashion Show.

Keep up the good work, students! You never know when your superintendent might be checking up on you.

Fashion students "Go Green"

Kristen Johnson's fashion merchandising students went green on Friday, with their unconventional garment fashion show.

Second-year students from her morning and afternoon classes designed "Go Green Garments," made of all sorts of recyclable materials, including newspapers, garbage bags, bubble wrap, paper napkins and coffee filters. They weren't allowed to use any type of fabric, and they weren't allowed to sew, so students had to get creative and glue, staple or tape their creations together.

It was the first project of the year, and they did an amazing job (as did the first-year models).

The morning class even got to model for the Arizona Republic. Here are some of the students being interviewed:

Here are the AM class's designers and models:

And the PM class:

3D is springing into action

I stopped by Eric Perez's 3D Animation class yesterday to watch his students work on assigments and talk with him about all the service learning projects they have coming up this semester.

They are going to be busy. They are finishing up a hygiene video game they're producing for students in Haiti. They're going to work with EduKid on a variety of publications. They're tackling some projects for Spark Advertising. And they're pairing up with the video class to get some online menus up and running for Sushi Brokers Restaurant.

It sounds like the students will walk away from his class at the end of the year with a slew of experience and a bursting portfolio.

HOSA students make EVIT proud!

EVIT HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) students brought home several honors from the National Leadership Conference in Nashville in June.

The group received a merit award for their efforts for Autism; the HOSA bowl team placed 35 out of 100 teams, a great improvement over past years; and Kaitlyn Smith made it past the test into the second round of Nursing Assistant and placed in the top 30.

The students were accompanied by health teachers Jon Howell and Sharon Black, who said that “while winning medals is important, our students got to attend a conference where they learned about leadership and are ready to lead in HOSA next year. I’m so excited for the future of HOSA and EVIT.”

Here's the group when they first arrived in Nashville:

And here they are about to enter the awards ceremony, where they received honors for their Autism Speaks campaign that raised over $2,700.

Congrats, HOSA students!

Learning the tools

Students in Randy Phillips' automotive technology class spent this morning learning about all the tools they'll be using this semester. Don't they look sharp in their uniforms?

Become a Surgical Technologist

There is still time to sign up for EVIT's surgical technology class this fall and become a certified surgical technologist!

In the 11-month accredited program, students learn about surgical instrumentation, biology, medical terminology, sterilization, and general surgery. The course also will touch on all the medical specialties, and will include nine months of lab and classwork, followed by an eight-week clinical internship.

The course is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. It is one of five accredited programs in Arizona, but is one of the only programs that currently has NO waiting list! Those who complete the course will be able to test for national certification.

The course has competitive tuition and is open to all adults, age 18 or older, who have completed high school and have the required medical terminology and basic biology prerequisites. Students can enroll until Aug. 31.

For more information on the program or to register, call Jackie Auvigne in the Continuing Education Department at (480) 461-4028.

Back to School Night

Now that students have been on campus for several days, it's time for parents to come back to school, too!

EVIT's annual Back to School Night will be held Tuesday, Aug. 25. Parents can come any time between 6 and 8 p.m. to meet their child's teacher, learn more about their program, and enjoy some refreshments.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Culinary students to open restaurant

EVIT culinary students will be cooking up a special treat this year: a once-a-month restaurant, featuring American regional cuisine.

The restaurant opens to the public on Oct. 1, and the students will be in charge. They'll be taking orders, bussing tables, and cooking three- to five-course meals, under the supervision of culinary arts staff.

The service will cost $25 per person. Additional a la carte items also will be available for purchase. Seating is limited, and we expect it will fill up fast, so make your reservation soon!

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Tricia Guerrero at (480) 461-4139 or tguerrero@evit.com.

Back to School

School is back in session at EVIT, and students and teachers have not wasted any time digging into their classes.

During the first week of the semester, fire fighting students were learning their way around the ropes course:

Cosmetology students were cutting hair:

Auto students were learning the ins and outs of operating equipment:

Fashion and interior design students were learning how colors work with different skin tones:

Second-year fashion students were collecting inspiration for their spring fashion show:

Computer repair students were fixing laptops:

Nursing assistant students were learning the proper hand washing method:

And radio students were testing out their equipment:

It's going to be a great year!

Welcome to EVIT's new blog!

Hello parents, students, teachers, and community members! This is the start of the East Valley Institute of Technology's new weblog, which will bring you all the latest information on what is happening on our campus.

We'll profile our programs, as well as our students' and teachers' accomplishments, and we'll keep you up-to-date on events and other important information. So check back regularly for new posts!

Here's to a great school year!