Learning straight from the industry

Randy Baker's automotive technologies students got a crash course in air conditioning repairs during class today.

John Brunner, who is on the advisory council for EVIT's auto program, travels the country teaching various groups about air conditioning repairs. He met with the EVIT students for about two hours and demonstrated different techniques.

"He's very knowledgeable, coming straight from industry," Mr. Baker said. "It's nice to be able to have that exposure to industry for the students."

And besides, Mr. Baker said, sometimes the students just get sick of listening to him talk and are happy to learn from someone new!

Support your school!

EVIT could win a whopping $500,000 -- and all you have to do is vote!

Kohl's is holding a "Kohl's Cares" contest, giving away a total of $10 million to schools with the most votes. Each person gets a total of 20 votes, and you can use up to five of those votes per school.

Just click here to vote. It only takes a minute, and you can even submit suggestions on how EVIT should spend the money if we win. Some suggestions so far include sending more students to national competitions, conducting more community service projects and buying more books and supplies.

Each vote counts, and the contest ends Friday, Sept. 3, so hurry up and vote today!

EVIT Students have great incentive for Perfect Attendance

EVIT students will "kick off" the 2010/2011 Perfect Attendance competition on Monday August 30th with the opportunity of winning two cars!

EVIT industry partner Thorobred Chevrolet is promoting the importance of "being on the job every day" by donating a car as incentive. EVIT students who have perfect attendance at the end of the school year will be in a drawing for the car, which will be newly painted and thoroughly inspected by EVIT's Collision Repair and Automotive Technologies classes. This is the fifth year an industry partner has sponsored the competition that is won by a student if their key starts the car.

But, wait! There's more! Thorobred Chevrolet Service Manager, Steve Marley, added another car to the competition by supporting the "Chevy Drive for Perfection" Program sponsored by General Motors. Senior students at EVIT can also qualify to compete for a brand new 2011 Chevy Cruze!

Perfect Attendance never looked so good!

The menu is set! Make your reservation today!

Don't forget to make your reservation for the student-run 5th Season Restaurant, which is celebrating its grand re-opening next week!

EVIT culinary students are preparing to "wow" the community when they re-open their restaurant for the first time this school year from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. The gourmet restaurant will be open on the first Thursday of each month.

And now ... the most important part: the menu!

Appetizers
*Chilled artichoke & lobster salad, papaya remoulade
*Red chili & soy marinated tofu, ratatouille, pita crisp
*Barbequed goose taco, smoked gouda, pear slaw
*Sauteed foie gras, fig & red onion compote, blue cheese cracker

Entrees
*Grilled arctic char, sea scallops, saffron broth, cranberry quinoa, haricot verts
*Applewood smoked snake river farms kurobuta pork chop, red currant glaze, roasted fingerling potatoes, brussel sprouts
*Summer vegetable strudel, curried pineapple sauce
*Butter poached beef tenderloin, wild mushroom polenta, asparagus tips

Desserts
*Popcorn panna cotta, milk chocolate gelee, caramel crunch, peanut streussel
*Coconut mascarpone strawberry trifle
*Chocolate ganache tart, raspberry sorbet
*Fresh berries, creme fraiche brulee

The menu changes each month, so check back here to find out what they'll be whipping up next month.

The cost is $40 per person. Reservations are required, and the spots are filling up fast, so get your name in today! Contact Tricia Guerrero at 480-461-4139 or tguerrero@evit.com for reservations.

Parents celebrate Back to School Night

Hundreds of parents and students braved the monsoon Tuesday night to see all the exciting things going on in classes at EVIT.

The annual back to school night was designed for parents to meet the teachers and principal and check out their student's classroom. Principal James Fisher was on hand to greet parents and direct them to their classrooms.

EVIT students were proud to show off their newly learned skills in the latest technology.

Watch for Tech Fest on Saturday, January 29th when students and their industry partners will showcase the latest and greatest in their field.

Culinary's version of orientation

First-year culinary students got a little taste last week of what they'll be learning this school year.

Second-year and former EVIT culinary students, along with a handful of well-known Valley chefs, held a Student Dinner last Monday. The chefs cooked the feast ...


... and second-year students served it up.


The dinner was a culinary-style orientation for the newbies to get a feel for all they'll be learning.

Becoming Cadets and Connectors

Two representatives from the Mesa Fire Department visited EVIT's fire fighting classes on Monday to talk about two great opportunities for students.


Students age 15 to 20 can apply to the department's Cadet Program. The department is accepting 24 new cadets who will meet once a month to learn a variety of fire fighting skills, including water rescue, repelling and CPR.

"You're going to gain a lot of experience," speaker Warren Sprecher told the EVIT students. "Being a cadet, we're going to mentor you to give you that skill set."

Students can attend one of two upcoming orientation meetings for the Cadet Program. The first is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 1. The second is from 9 to 11 a.m. on Sept. 11. Both orientation sessions are being held at the fire department's Volunteer Center at 2830 E. Adobe, behind Station 206. Students can submit their applications for the program at these meetings.

Students who are 18 years old have an additional opportunity to join the department's Connector Program. Connectors are a huge asset to the Mesa Fire Department, and they are essentially as close as a person can get to being a Mesa firefighter without actually being one.. They assist with the department's customer service role, aiding victims however they can by connecting them to various resources. Connectors might drive accident victims home from a crash, deliver water to working firefighters, or help look for lost persons.

Art Institute students give demostration in culinary

Four students from the Art Institute of Phoenix visited the EVIT culinary class this week to practice for a big competition they'll be participating in later this fall.

The Art Institute students will be headed to an international cook off championship in Austria at the end of September, so they spent Monday morning practicing their skills during a demonstration for EVIT students.

Two of the four competitors also are former EVIT students, so they will be representing us during the competition, too! Here is former EVIT student Kolby Gessner, hard at work:

And former EVIT student Julie Fiedler, who has also competed on the Iron Chef America show:

During the competition, the two-member teams will each be given a basket of ingredients, and they'll have 30 minutes to create and execute a recipe.

Good luck, students!

Fashion students "Go Green"

EVIT's second-year fashion merchandising students are learning to "go green," as they prepare for their first fashion show of the school year: the annual "Go Green Garment" Fashion Show.

The students must each design a wearable garment out of everyday household items, such as garbage bags, duct tape, newspaper and balloons. The idea is to transform everyday materials into something wearable and fashionable. Traditional clothing materials -- fabrics, zippers, ribbons -- are not allowed.

The students have been hard at work all week, putting together their creations:

First-year fashion students will model the creations at the fashion shows, which will be held at 9:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 20 in the fashion merchandising classroom.

EVIT adult programs starting soon

Several of EVIT's School of Adult Education programs are starting up next week. So, if you've been trying to decide whether to make the leap and change careers or simply learn some new skills, now is the time!

Starting Monday, Aug. 23:

• Air Conditioning/HVAC
• Collision Repair
• Medical Terminology
• Surgical Technology
• Welding
  

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 24:

• Anatomy/Physiology
• Nursing Assistant
• Phlebotomy
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
  

EVIT's School of Adult Education programs are open to adults ages 18 and older. Classes are held in the evenings, although adults ages 18-22 may qualify to enroll in high school programs during the daytime, space permitting.

Call our School of Adult Education department at 480-461-4028 for more information.

A sharp-looking class

EVIT Superintendent Dr. Sally Downey has spent the week making the rounds, trying to meet students in as many programs across campus as possible. But on Friday, Rick Shearer's fire fighting students took initiative and paid a visit to her outside of the district office.


Dr. Downey gave the students advice on how to be successful in the program, how to set a good example for on-campus visitors and told them how "sharp" they looked, standing in formation in front of her.

The 5th Season Restaurant is back!

EVIT's culinary students will show off their skills again this school year by re-opening their popular 5th Season Restaurant to the public.

Students, parents and community members can enjoy a fine dining experience at a low cost once a month throughout the school year.

The restaurant is opening from 5 to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, beginning Sept. 2nd. The other dates are: Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, March 3, April 7 and May 5. Spots are filling up fast, so call today to reserve your spot. The cost is $40 per person.

For any questions or to make reservations, contact Tricia Guerrero at (480) 461-4139 or tguerrero@evit.com.

Welcome, EVIT students!

The new school year is officially upon us!

Students arrived bright and early this morning ...


... And again this afternoon:


Staff members, including assistant principal Chris Williams, have been out all day, directing students to their classrooms:


The EVIT campus is pretty, but it seems to have so much more life to it when students are here!


Here's to another great school year at EVIT!

Meet EVIT's new teachers

EVIT is welcoming several new teachers and aides this school year. Most of them come to us due to the creation of new programs or program expansions, which is very exciting! If you see any of them on campus, be sure to welcome them:

Daniel Christman, Automotive
John Diana, Culinary
Belin Long, Medical Assistant
Laura McKinly, Medical Assistant
Lance Lorenzo, Massage Therapy
Traci Hauver, EMT
Raymond Rogers, Computer Repair
Joby Thompson, Video Productions
James Austin, SPD
Chelsea Goodman, Health Foundations
McKensie Mabry, Dental Assisting
Jennifer Bray, Certified Nursing Assistant
Carlee Price, Massage Therapy
Jeffrey Agnew, Radio Broadcasting

The staff is back!

The entire EVIT staff was reunited today after several weeks apart for summer vacation. Many of the support staff have been working hard on campus all summer, but new teachers reported to work for the first time on Monday and returning teachers came back today.

The whole staff spent the day together, going over campus policies and procedures and getting each other motivated for the start of another great school year.

And of course, there was lunch, served up by the administrators:

Now we just need some students, and we'll be all set for the new school year!

Let the countdown begin...

There is just one week left until the official start to the start of the new school year at EVIT, but already the campus is buzzing with activity.

New teachers are on campus today learning the ropes. The rest of the teachers officially start back on Wednesday, although many have been visiting campus to get their classrooms in order and catch up on e-mail and voicemail messages.

And then students are back on Monday to officially kick off the 2010-2011 school year! Be sure to check out EVIT's back to school events, including a school-wide open house.