Pick your paint

One lucky EVIT student who has perfect attendance will win a truck at the end of the school year.

The truck, a donated 2001 Chevy, is spending the school year on campus, being checked over by the automotive students and souped-up by the collision repair students.

And students have a say in exactly what the final product will look like. Any student who still has perfect attendance during the next assembly can vote on which custom paint theme Mr. Carroll's class should use. Here are the choices:

What do you think? I'm partial to #3 and #4.

Welding students try out donated "boom"

Welding students got to try out a new piece of equipment today that will give them much more freedom of motion.

The machine, called a welding boom, was donated by Weldcoa and is valued at $2,900. Weldcoa has been manufacturing the booms since 1987, and they are used all over the world.

The boom will allow EVIT welding students to extend the reach of their equipment and operate freely within a 360-degree area.


"In other words, if the welder is working in an elevated area, he does not have to climb down to reposition and secure the boom arm," said Hector Villarreal, Weldcoa president. "The arm moves with the welder, providing him with complete freedom of movement. It also puts the welding machine controls right at the end of the boom arm, allowing the welder to make setting adjustments on the fly. Lastly, the boom removes all trip hazards, as all the cabling and hoses run through the length of the arm."

Students were excited to try out their new equipment. Thank you for the donation, Weldcoa!

Become a licensed aesthetician or cosmetologist!

Attention future aestheticians and cosmetologists: EVIT still has space in its adult programs, which start Monday, Nov. 9!

EVIT offers a wide array of adult classes at competitive prices. Tuition for the two-year adult cosmetology program is $10,800; tuition for the nine-month adult aesthetics program is $5,700. The classes meet from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m., Monday - Friday.

Both programs will prepare students to take the state licensing test at the end of the program, which means students can leave EVIT as licensed aestheticians and cosmetologists.

If you sign up and bring a friend, too, you’ll even earn a discount on your tuition!

For more information or to sign up, contact Jackie Auvigne at (480) 461-4028 or jauvigne@evit.com.

Cooking for a Cause

*Drumroll*

The EVIT cookbook, "Cooking for a Cause," debuted yesterday at the EVIT Education Foundation breakfast!


This cookbook is a fundraiser for United Way and the project has been in the works since the beginning of the school year. It is made up of family recipes from our teachers, staff, board members and friends.

It is loaded with all kinds of tasty recipes (including my grandmother's applesauce, my mom's fruit pizza, and my mother-in-law's barbeque).

They are $10 or two for $15, and they are well worth the money (every penny of which goes directly to United Way).

I might be biased, having spent two weeks typing in recipes and editing the text, but I think it's pretty great. It was a real labor of love, and lots of people put lots of time into collecting the recipes, organizing them, designing the cover, and printing and binding the final product.

I think they'd make great Christmas gifts.

To buy a copy (or four), email cookbook@evit.com or call Liz Bortkun at 480-461-4160.

EVITEF Breakfast Fundraiser recap

The EVIT Education Foundation breakfast this morning was a great success! Here are some highlights:

The culinary students were up and at it by 5 a.m. this morning, getting everything ready:

We had some wonderful guests and good conversation. Meet my tablemates, a group of fine folks from SRP:

Of course, the food was amazing:

Current and former students got up to say a few words about what EVIT has meant for their futures:

Local chef extraordinaire Mark Tarbell was honored as EVITEF's Sam and Olga Bender Award winner for his support of career and technical education:

Attendees were given a chance to bid on the centerpieces, which were hand-crafted by our welding instructors and students. I've had my eye on this one for several weeks... and I won it!

And to cap off the morning, culinary students handed out loaves of freshly baked pumpkin bread as people left:

What a great event! The fundraiser brought in more money than ever before, and it will go a long way in supporting our students and programs. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support EVITEF!

Welcome, GPEC!

Representatives from GPEC (the Greater Phoenix Economic Council) visited EVIT's campus today! Superintendent Dr. Sally Downey led them on a tour of our programs and they enjoyed a gourmet lunch provided by EVIT culinary students.

Thanks for visiting!

Support autism research -- get hypnotized!

Health students are hosting a comedy hypnosis show on Saturday, Nov. 14 to raise money for autism research.

Students in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization are selling 500 tickets to the show, which will feature Master Hypnotist Michael DeSchalit. DeSchalit is an experienced hypnotist and award-winning magician who has performed in venues across the country. The show will feature the hypnosis of audience volunteers, including EVIT students and staff members.

Proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to changing the future for those who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. EVIT students were honored at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in June for raising more than $2,700 for Autism Speaks last school year.

This year’s goal is $5,000, and they're already up to nearly $800. The students even have some friendly competition brewing among the classes to see who can raise the most money. Here are their fundraising charts, on display in the Health Sciences Center:


The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 in EVIT’s main auditorium. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Seating is limited, so tickets are first-come, first-served. To purchase tickets in advance, contact the EVIT HOSA chapter at (480) 461-4001.