EVIT Expo recap

If you were at EVIT Expo on Saturday, I'm going to venture a guess that you had a great time.

The campus was hopping all day long.

There was a hot air balloon...

A fun Parade of Classes...


A helicopter landed by an EVIT aviation student...


And, of course, the launch of 90.7 KVIT with the help of Jordin Sparks...

Plus, much much more!

Mr. & Ms. EVIT Got Talent

Today was the Mr. & Ms. EVIT Got Talent Show! The Mr. & Ms. EVIT candidates got to strut their stuff and prove to their fellow students why they should be new face of EVIT.

In the AM, there was singing...

And dancing...

And tennis...

And... chip eating?

I must say... he did eat the chips rather well.

In the PM, there was more dancing:

And rapping:

And handstanding!


Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day to vote for your favorite candidates! Vote with your wallet by dropping change and bills into the jar for the students who you think should be the next Mr. & Ms. EVIT. The proceeds benefit Mesa United Way, and the winners will be crowned at the conclusion of the EVIT Expo!

Countdown to EVIT Expo!

It's our favorite time of year... EVIT Expo is this Saturday!

EVIT Expo is the school's huge annual open house. It's an opportunity for each program to strut its stuff and show the community what EVIT is all about. But more than that, it's just fun for all who attend!

Some of the exciting events this year include a Parade of Classes, a helicopter landing by an EVIT aviation student, a mock surgery by Surgical Technology students, tethered hot air balloon rides, and of course, the launch of the radio program's brand new radio station, 90.7 FM KVIT The Goldmine!

Other exciting things to see and do around campus: watch the Collision Repair Technology students airbrush designs live, get $5 haircuts and manicures in Cosmetology, make a "DNA necklace" in Medical Biotechnology, check your vital signs in Nursing Assisting, tour an ambulance in EMT, try out the green screen in Video Productions, see the robotic arm in Electronics, sample some American Barbeque in Culinary Arts, and much more! For more details about all the of events and activities, click here.

The Expo lasts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The new Mr. & Ms. EVIT will be crowned at the end of Expo, at 12:45 p.m. Immediately following the coronation, the radio station launch party will begin, right in the front/center of campus, near the flagpoles. The radio launch party will include a performance by local classic rock band The Rave and Mariachi Fuego Del Sol, and a presentation by Mesa Mayor Scott Smith. At 2:30 p.m., local American Idol celebrity Jordin Sparks will help the radio students officially "sign on," she'll cut the ribbon, and she'll be the students' first on-air interview!

Don't miss it!

EVIT CNA student gets ready for her future

EVIT Certified Nursing Assistant student Krystal Mitich is getting ready to start her future this fall, when she packs her bags and heads to New York.

Krystal earned a $12,000 scholarship (per year for FIVE years) to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where she'll study to become a physician's assistant. When she finishes the program, she'll have a master's degree and will be ready to get to work.

"I want to work in a hospital for a few years before deciding whether to specialize in a certain area," said Krystal, who is also a senior at Red Mountain High School.

Krystal credits EVIT with giving her an edge up over other applicants to RIT. "I honestly think (attending EVIT) is the only thing that set me ahead of everyone else," she said.

She talked to other applicants who had many hours of internship experience, but she found her experience at EVIT - which involves direct patient care - to be far more valuable. Instead of just watching, she gets true hands-on experience, helping patients and making a difference.

Congrats, Krystal! We can't wait to hear about all your future successes!

Beeeeeeee Supportive!

Folks, did you know you can eat fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies while also supporting EVIT? It's the ultimate multi-tasking!


EVIT is a pick-up site for Green Bee Produce, an organization that sells fresh and local produce, breads and bakery. The products are tasty AND cheaper than what you find in a grocery store because Green Bee doesn't have to transport it for miles and miles.

All you have to do is place your order by midnight each Monday and you can pick up your fruit box, salad pack, cinnamon swirl bread or granola on Wednesday. Pick up times at EVIT are 10:30 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Health Science Center.

The best part (at least for us): A portion of the money you spend goes right back to EVIT to support the Health Sciences students!

Check out all the products here. You can enjoy some honey whole wheat bread while your pup enjoys some beef dog cookies. Yum!

Sittin' pretty

The second-year Interior Design students wrapped up a big project this week -- the chairs that will be featured in the annual Spring Fashion Show later this year.

The Interior Design and Fashion Merchandising students are collaborating for the second year in a row for a special feature during the show. Fashion students will design garments that coordinate with the Interior Design chairs. The second-year Interior Design students presented their chairs to a panel of students and administrators.

The students were given themes, such as travel, art, music and people. From those themes, students had to find a more specific inspiration.

Here are a couple of the finished chairs:



To see more pictures of the chairs and presentations, click here.

Video students put their skills to good use

EVIT Video Productions students are working hard to freshen up the promotional video used by staff to spread the word about the school. The students can be spotted, camera in tow, visiting classrooms across campus. This morning, they grabbed some footage of the mock operating room over in the Health Sciences Center.


Stay tuned for the final product! I'll post it here when it's complete.

Introducing...

.... this year's Mr. and Ms. EVIT finalists!

AM classes

Ms. finalists
Rachel Howard
Kadalena Abraham
Mariah DeWald
Lauren Sparks
Hailey Reimus
Shelby Montgomery
Kayla Clyde

Mr. finalists
Christian Milano
Michael Shirley
Chase Deal

PM classes

Ms. finalists
Arye Lopez
Patricia Delmar
Skyler Harmon
Bianca Du Prey

Mr. finalists
Hugo Moreno
Cody Cave

EVIT students will chose a Mr. and Ms. EVIT from the morning and afternoon to represent their classes at various school-wide events, including EVIT Expo and the Completion Ceremony. Students vote by donating money into their favorite candidate's jar (located at the front desk in Building 1). The candidates with the most money by 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29 (at EVIT Expo!) will be crowned the new Mr. and Ms. EVIT!

Students attended assemblies today to meet their candidates. The candidates introduced themselves, told the students a little bit about them, and then did a little dancing.

(From left to right, Radio teacher Steve Grosz, Mariah, Rachel, Kadalena, Shelby, Kayla, Hailey, and Lauren)

(From left to right: Christian, Mr. Grosz, Chase, and Michael)

(Arye, Bianca, Skyler, Patricia, Hugo and Cody show off their best moves.)

All money collected will be donated to the Mesa United Way. Last year's candidates raised about $1,000 -- Let's see if we can top that this year!

Last year's winners: Monica Leftwich and Cruz Olguin in PM and Marc Reidhead and Charity Fuller in AM.

Advice from the Superintendent

EVIT Superintendent Dr. Sally Downey stopped by the PM medical assisting class last week to talk with students about what it is like to be a woman in a leadership role.

The students - most of who are female - were exploring different possible careers, and Dr. Downey wanted to tell them to find their passion and pursue it.

"It is so important to find out what your passion is and then work in it," Dr. Downey said. "If your passion is what you're doing every day, it's not work. Do it because it's something that makes you really, really happy, because if it makes you happy, you'll be good at it."

Dr. Downey also said that the students should strive to never stop learning, regardless of what path they take after EVIT.

"Education is the best insurance policy you can have because nobody can ever take that away from you," she told the students.

Concrete pouring and... a starter home?

I stopped over in construction today to see what they were up to. An official from Okland Construction (they're the company building the addition to EVIT's Health Science Center) was there, teaching students how to pour concrete:


That was pretty cool. But then something else caught my attention. Last year, the students made miniature houses. They started out like this:


And looked like this (with a little decorating assistance from the Interior Design students) by the end of the school year:


Pretty impressive, right? Well, this year, they're setting their sights a little bigger. Here is the start of this year's project:

I'll keep tabs on it and will post some more pictures once it's all done and I've moved in. ;)

EVIT fashion students make over Barbie

EVIT fashion students gave Barbie a makeover last semester for Mystic Paper, a paper arts and scrapbook store in downtown Mesa.

Here is a sneak peak at what they did:

To see photos of the rest of the amazing designs, check out all the Mystic Paper blog, or stop by Mystic Paper to see them in person.