The excitement of a new school year

In just a few days, the EVIT grounds and classrooms will be buzzing with more than 3,000 students. But, before the bell rings on Monday morning marking the official start of school, teachers are back on campus a few days this week.

Yesterday, the entire EVIT staff (teachers, administrators, support staff, maintenance workers, etc) came together for a day of in-service training. It's really a special opportunity to have everyone together at the same place and same time. The morning kicked off with an inspiration speech from Superintendent Dr. Downey, followed by the introduction new staff members and teachers and a sharing of summer adventures and accomplishments.

It's amazing how many cool places EVIT staff traveled over the summer, from Italy to month-long road trips, and the number of amazing accomplishments by our students, such as taking 2nd place in EMT at Skills USA Nationals and 1st place in Fashion Design at FCCLA (see post below).

Following the morning session, the group was divided up by birthdays then matched with a fellow co-worker at random. We then loaded on to a school bus (or van) for a special field trip and lunch at the new East campus near Power and Warner Roads.

While there was still some construction activity and furniture being moved in, it was quite impressive. My favorite rooms were the aviation classrooms, with a spectacular view of ASU Polytechnic and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in the distance. From the outside of the building it looks like an aviation tower with windows streching from nearly floor to ceiling. Other cool features include a rooftop garden, courtyard water feature and 150-seat auditorium with stadium seating. In addition to aviation, there will also be some health classes offered on the East campus.

The afternoon wrapped up back on the main campus with short presentations from various departments, such as the business office and public relations. While everyone left a bit exhausted from the amount of information and hot day, it was fun and a great chance to meet new people. There is definitely a vibe of excitement in the air and I have a feeling it's going to be a fantastic year!

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!

EVIT HOSA team cleans up at state competition

Dozens of EVIT Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) students brought home medals from the state competition last week in Tucson.

Nearly 40 EVIT students competed in the event, held April 14 - 16 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tucson. Here are the AM winners:


And the PM winners:


First, second and third place winners in each category are qualified to compete in the National HOSA Leadership Conference in June in Orlando. Here is the full list of winners:

HOSA Bowl
First place: Alex Rist, Nidhisha Patel, Casey Strutowski, Ashley Baumlisberger
Second place: Austin Roper, Jodi Copeland, Krystal Jovel
Third place: Stormy Profitt, Jenna Lann-Clemons, Nichole Town

Pharmacology
First place: Laura Kulas
Second place: Reyna Herold

Kaiser Permanente Scholarship Exam
Nidisha Patel
Casey Strutowski
Krystal Jovel
Laura Kulas

Barbara James Service Award
Gema Martinez

Forensic Medicine
Third place: Alyssa Johnson, Tori Painter

Home Health Aide
Third Place: Chanda John

Dental Spelling
Fourth Place: Janine Madrid

Dental Terminology
Fifth place: Lorraine Urie

Biomedical Debate
Fifth place: Bailey Shupe, Kirsten Ward, Lea Jones, Samantha Randall

HOSA students gear up for state competition

EVIT students in the HOSA organization (Health Occupations Students of America) always seem to be busy. They've spent the school year raising money for Autism Speaks, and now they're getting ready for the HOSA state competition, held April 14-16 in Tucson.

EVIT students will compete in the following categories: nursing assistant, home health aide, medical reading, biomedical debate, CPR/first aid, forensic, medical terminology, dental spelling and terminology, medical photography, career health display, and HOSA Bowl. Some students also have been competing for scholarship awards at the state and national levels.

First place winners usually go on to compete at the national competition, which will be held this year in June in Orlando.

Several students have been staying late after school on Mondays to practice their health trivia skills:


EVIT's HOSA team is notoriously a good one. Last year, the team brought home several honors from the National Competition, including a merit award for their efforts raising money for autism research.

Good luck at the state competition!

HOSA raises $6,000 for autism research

EVIT health students wowed the folks from Autism Speaks today when they presented them with a check for $6,000.

Students in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization have been fundraising all semester to raise money for the organization, which is dedicated to changing the lives for those who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. The group held a comedy hypnosis fundraiser show last month as part of the project, and they also solicited donations from family, friends and businesses.

The student organization raised more than $2,700 for the organization last year and were honored for their efforts at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in June. They set a lofty goal of raising $5,000 this school year, and surpassed that by 20 percent!

Amazing job.

EVIT health students learn CPR

EVIT students in the Nursing Assistant and Allied Health programs were trained in CPR this week.

Students who completed the training from Heart Savers received a two-year certification for healthcare provider CPR.

Here are students in Ms. Thorson's afternoon class, practicing their breathing techniques on infant dummies:

Health students gear up for HOSA

EVIT health students trekked over to the auditorium today to learn how they could get involved in their student organization, travel to workshops and participate in competitions.

Health student fees include a membership to the Arizona chapter of HOSA, the Health Occupations Students of America. As part of that membership, students can choose to attend regional and state workshops, and they'll have a shot at competing at the national conference, held in Orlando in June.

First up is a conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on Nov. 6, where members can attend sessions on leadership and informational meetings on specific healthcare fields, as well as gather information on how to compete and win at the national conference. Get more details on the conferences here.

Competition topics run the gamut. Students can choose from health profession events, such as specific events for biotechnology, dental assisting or sports medicine. They can show off their leadership skills through speech, writing, or poster design competitions. And they can sign up for emergency preparedness events, recognition events, and teamwork competitions.

The group also will team up to raise money for Autism Speaks, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research for the causes, treatments and prevention of autism. Last year's EVIT HOSA group raised more than $2,700 for the cause.

Good luck this year, HOSA students!