Great programs; great scenery, too!

I was walking around campus yesterday, and couldn't help but notice...


... that our landscaping crew has done an amazing job keeping the campus looking beautiful during the hot summer months. Wow!

Completing enrollment

The campus was buzzing today, as new students visited EVIT to pay their program fees and get their parking permits and student IDs during the annual Enrollment Completion event.


It was nice to have some visitors on campus, after several weeks of summer break left the school feeling a little deserted.


If you missed today's event, you still can visit the campus from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday to tie up any loose ends before school starts on August 9.

What's coming up...

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the 2010-2011 school year! My, how time flies.

As we get ready for another great year at EVIT, here are some upcoming events you might want to check out:

*Enrollment Completion: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 28 - 29 on EVIT's main campus. Interested students can check out the programs and register for the fall semester. Students who already are enrolled for a fall program can pay their class fees, obtain parking permits, tour the campus, and get their student ID pictures taken.

*School of Adult Education Open House: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 28 - 29 on EVIT's main campus. Come check out the programs EVIT offers for adult students looking to learn some new skills or change careers. Take a career assessment test, tour the campus, and meet the instructors!

*Aviation Open House and Mandatory Parent/Student Meeting: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., August 7 at Chandler-Gilbert Community College Williams Campus, 7360 E. Tahoe Avenue in Mesa. Students interested in aviation careers and their parents are invited to come learn more about EVIT's program. Students who already are enrolled will learn more about the curriculum and program expectations and will tour of the facility. Contact teacher Lou Amadee at lamadee@evit.com with any questions or to RSVP.

*First Day of School: August 9. Morning programs begin at 8:05 a.m.; afternoon programs begin 12:05 p.m.

*School Open House: 6 to 8 p.m., August 24 on EVIT's main campus. Parents and students are invited to visit EVIT after the start of the school year. Students can show parents their classroom, and parents will have a chance to meet the teachers and learn about the curriculum for the school year. This is a great opportunity for parents to ask questions and learn more about the program.

Culinary Arts teacher Mike Turcotte welcomes parents during last school year's open house event.

EVIT will sign on to 90.7 FM

EVIT radio students will be broadcasting live across the East Valley by the end of the school year!

EVIT has been granted a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission to build a transmitter and tower to begin broadcasting over 90.7 FM. The signal will be accessible across Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, south Tempe, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

Radio teacher Steve Grosz says it will be a true "community radio station," with EVIT students broadcasting live from events across the East Valley, including high school football and basketball games.

The radio program gives EVIT students experience in a variety of radio broadcasting jobs. Students will complete the program with experience as an on-air personality, a studio producer, a live sound engineer, and a promotions or marketing assistant. And, with the creation of this radio tower, they'll also leave EVIT with real world experience at a local radio station!

Construction on the radio tower is expected to begin sometime this winter, and students should be broadcasting on air by the end of the school year. Until then, you can also tune in to hear their work on EVIT's web site.


Mr. Grosz still has room in his class for this fall, but spots are filling up quick! Call 480-461-4000 for more information or to register.

Looking for an excuse to visit EVIT?

Stop by from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 28 and 29! The EVIT campus will be buzzing as new students complete their registration, pay program fees, pick up their parking permits and check out the campus.

Adult students will be milling about, too, for the School of Adult Education Open House, also happening from 7:30 to 4 p.m. on those dates. Adult students can tour the campus, take a career assessment test and meet the instructional staff.

So bring your questions and stop on by!

Ready to get cookin'?

The EVIT culinary department is holding a registration event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 19 in the banquet hall on campus.

If you've already registered but haven't attended a registration event, stop by to get information about the class, pay your fees and get fitted for your uniform.

School starts in less than a month!

Want to win a Wii?

Interested in learning more about EVIT's interior design, 3D animation or marketing programs?

Or maybe you'd just like to win a Nintendo Wii?

Stop by the EVIT campus from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21 for an open house! Current and prospective students can learn more about these programs: fashion merchandising, interior design, multimedia, 3D animation, radio broadcasting, precision machining, video productions, pre-engineering, and marketing, management and entrepreneurship. Check out the classrooms and meet the teachers!

If you've already signed up, bring a friend with you. If your friend registers for EVIT, you'll both be entered to win a Nintendo Wii!

Top honors for Early Childhood Education

EVIT's Early Childhood Education program received national accreditation recently from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). EVIT, in partnership with the Maricopa County Head Start program, proved to house a top-notch program that will remain accredited for the next five years.

EVIT partners with Head Start to provide young children of low-income families with educational experiences, as well as promote health and social and emotional competence. EVIT is a Head Start site, and EVIT students in the Early Childhood Education Program are able to get hands-on experience working with the Head Start children as part of their curriculum. The Head Start children benefit from the additional one-on-one time with the high school students, who act as positive role models, and the high school students gain experience in their chosen field.

Congrats to everyone involved in the program!

Congrats to the Practical Nursing grads!

About a dozen Practical Nursing students received their certificates and pins during a completion ceremony held in the Health Sciences Center auditorium on Wednesday.

"This is just the beginning of a journey that will take you to any height that you choose to go to," EVIT Superintendent Dr. Sally Downey told the completers. "Thank you for allowing us to be a small part in the phenomenal future you have ahead of you."


Guest speaker Eva Woodburn told the students that they won't be in the field for the money, but rather for the way they'll be able to touch people's lives throughout their careers.

"You are special, and you'll make the world special by being in it," said Woodburn, who is the RN Clinical Education Specialist at Banner Gateway Hospital. "You will make such an impact in every person's life that you touch."

Each student was first called up to receive their certificate of completion.


And then each student was called up for a nursing program tradition -- the pinning ceremony. During this ceremony, a relative or close friend of the graduate came to the stage to attach a pin to the graduation gown, as a symbol that their loved one is no longer a student, but is now a nurse.


The students then faced the audience to recite the Florence Nightingale Pledge.


Tassels were moved to the left side, and they had officially completed!


Congrats to all the completers! You worked hard and really earned this!

See more photos from the ceremony here.