West Valley Innovation Center - Mission and Vision

 West Valley Innovation Center

Mission and Vision for our Learners

The last couple of weeks have moved us forward in bettering serving our students.  As of today, West Valley JH Principal, Russ Tuman, has been named as the 2021-22 Principal of the West Valley Innovation Center and we are ready to begin the real work  We will use the Career Connected Learning Blog as a way to keep our community informed in the development of the Innovation Center. 

Some of the work ahead of us includes hiring our teachers, adopting curriculum, and approving our new school platform.  Ahead of us there is a lot of work but before any of that work can begin, we need to ground ourselves in a Mission and Vision of the West Valley Innovation Center.  

Core Values

We have some core values already identified which are non-negotiable in educational practice which are good for kids.

• Full Inclusion Educational Model
• Career Pathways and Post Secondary Connections
• Competency Based Learning / Mastery Learning 
• Project Based Learning 
• Students will have Voice and Choice in showing how they have mastered standards

From this base we feel confident in the development of a model that will best serve our students.  

West Valley at AWB Manufacturing Week

 The fall, Innovative Programs has been using COVID to re-evaluate what is best for kids.  One of our projects is how we inspire and excite kids about their futures.  

In October, we were able to participate in the Association of Washington Business, AWB, also known as the Washington State Chamber of Commerce's Manufacturing Week.  W spoke about our Junior High programs and how at a younger age, we can excite students about all of the options their future has in store for them.

Additionally, we spoke about our excellent partnership with AJAC Aerospace and Boeing Core Plus and how these partnerships are the cornerstone to changing student lives.

Watch here: 

West Valley Interview with AWB

2020 Manufacturing Week LIVE - Oct. 2 from Association of WA Business on Vimeo.

New Junior High Program in Drone Manufacturing Takes Flight

New Junior High Program in Drone Manufacturing Takes Flight

West Valley Junior is taking another step to becoming the premier aerospace school in the State of Washington.  Joining our impressive lineup of Microsoft Certification through CCI Learning and Core Plus Aerospace, West Valley is adopting Flite Test, Drone Manufacturing.

As part of the new Flite Test curriculum, students will learn the science of aerospace and flight by designing and manufacturing their own drones.  

 Learning competencies include:

• Scratch Build Safety 
• Scratch Build Construction 
• Power Systems 
• Propulsion and Control Systems 
• Radio Systems 
• Flight Safety and Maintenance
• Engineering Design Model Implementation

From Boeing Internship to AJAC Apprenticeship

From Boeing Internship to AJAC Apprenticeship -

Korlee Butler-Mittlieder.  

This summer, Korlee took her Core Plus Aerospace skills to the Boeing Everett Campus where she worked and lived in a five week Summer internship.  During her internship she worked in drilling, riveting, and installing high-lock and lock bolts. Korlee said the best experience was working on the 747 Structure and the 777X Wing Laydown where she was working on complete structures of the plane.

"I got to install the pressure dome of the of the plane by connecting the forty-eight (the back cap of the plane) and forty-six (the back-half of the plane excluding the cap).  The pressure dome is incredibly important to trust me with, if the dome breaks the plan goes down."

Korlee was able to learn how to seal.  This was great because Korlee is also an AP Art student.   She appreciated how sealing required many of the same skills she uses as an art student from fine motor skills to mapping out a sealant gun path.

Korlee's competencies while at Boeing included

• Rivet Installation
• Drill and Debur
• Routing and Clamping
• Splice Hook-up
• Burndy block and plug hookup 
• Clean for seal
• Seal fasteners 

When Korlee returned to Yakima, she began her AJAC (Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee) apprenticeship at Magic Metals.  She was able to transfer 200 hours from her Boeing internship putting her further down the road to completing her Journeyman.  

Magic Metals has Korlee working in Engineering where she is apprenticing under the head engineer.  She is learning how to use 3D modeling software, taking parts and model them, virtually assembling multiple parts together, and producing engineering plans used on the shop floor from her designs. Korlee's art skills have made her highly effecting producing drawings needed for people on the shop floor to clearly and consistently build parts. 

Korlee with her engineering drawings she uses in Magic Metals.

This week Korlee will be on the welding floor where she will learn about welding in assembly. She will be taking the skills she learned in engineering, designing and modeling parts, to following the instructions on the welding floor.  

The best part about Magic Metals is the culture.  Everyone tells each other hello and goodbye everyday.  Everyone is a team working towards the same goal.  

"The apprenticeship is worth it."  Korlee recommends, "Be on time and be motivated.  This is a job where you work with other people."

WVHS | FUTURES Program | Allied Health

West Valley Futures Allied Health

Our newest video on West Valley Futures Allied Health is now live.  Learn more about careers in the medical field and how you can get an advantage pursuing your future.  

Students can take classes in Sports Therapy and Anatomy and Physiology as well as serve as student trainers for West Valley athletic events.  

Learn more about West Valley Allied Health as well as our other FUTURES programs HERE

Many Faces of Entrepreneurship

On Friday, November 16 both West Valley Junior High and West Valley High School sent students to the Many Faces of Entrepreneurship.

Central Washington University hosted the 5th annual event.  Students from across the ESD 105 in Yakima gathered at the Yakima Fair Grounds to compete in building and entrepreneurship plan.  Students are divided into teams with students from other schools where the had to come up with a business pitch.

Groups received coaching from entrepreneurs from the across the Yakima Valley to help students think as an entrepreneur.

Two West Valley Junior High students ended up meeting in the event finals.  At the end the entire event was a success.

WVJH WINS Innovation Challenge at WSSDA

West Valley Junior High sent a team from our Core Plus manufacturing program to the WSSDA Conference Innovation Challenge.  This is the third year of the Innovation Challenge sponsored by the DLR Group.

Three school district junior highs were chosen two present, West Valley, Bethel, and Kittitas.  Students were given thirty-six hours to build a presentation and provide a solution to an issue facing public education.

This year, students needed to develop or improve a technology which could revolutionize public education by the year 2030 and level the playing field for students from disadvantaged communities.

The West Valley team presented new virtual reality software which will put students into immersive environments.  The goal is to open access to students without the ability to take technical stem classes with advanced technology needs.

The team won $1000 from the DLR Group.

Huge thanks to Core Plus for the curriculum which provided our students with Project Based Learning opportunities aligned to real world skills.

West Valley Fire Science

Community partnerships are essential in connecting our students to lives beyond high school.  In our newest video, learn about Jake and his experience with the West Valley Fire Department.

West Valley Fire Science

Located next door to West Valley High School is the West Valley Fire Department.  Every morning, students attend classes where they have a direct connection to fire fighting careers.  Students are able to earn their fire fighting certification, become members of the department, and launch careers in the fire industry.  

To learn more contact West Valley's Career Counselor today. 

West Valley Career and College Fair

Each October West Valley High School hosts the largest College and Career fair you can find in Yakima, WA.  Last year we had over sixty-four tables showing students the variety of options they have in front of them when they graduate.

This year at West Valley will prove to be the largest Career Fair yet.  We will have representatives from military, two year, four year, and graduate universities, technical schools, career and industry, and registered apprenticeships.

In addition to representatives from post-secondary opportunities we are also bringing in Key Note Speaker, Daniel Seddiqui, from Living the Map to come talk about his experiences in today's Job Market.

https://www.livingthemap.com/ 

The West Valley College and Career Fair is Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Open to Students - 10:45-2:30pm
Open to the Public - 5-7pm

Lessons from Abroad: What can we learn from Germany and Switzerland to create opportunities for students in West Valley

Lessons from Abroad:  The German Dual-Vocational Education System.

In September of 2016, exactly two years ago, I boarded a flight destined to Berlin, Germany for what was going to be one of the most transformative educational experiences of my educational career.  In this tour we spent five days in Berlin and one week in Thuringia to see both urban approaches to the German dual vocational education system or as we call it, Youth Apprenticeship.  

Our trip was planned and organized by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA).   The goal of our trip was to combine a closer connection to the American and German education through student experiences, language, and culture.  The goal was undoubtedly achieved.

Berlin

While in Berlin we toured two different schools, the Max-von-Laue-Oberschule, an integrated secondary school, and Peter-Lenne Schule, a dual-vocational school for agriculture.  During the Max-Von-Laue school visit we saw how eighth and ninth grade students are engaged in a series of career interest surveys, job shadows, and job exploration activities which are paired with their academic studies.  School counselors are attuned to vocational plans of all their students.  Most unique was the wine make program which is in high demand among all ninth grade students. 

Grapes being grown for the wine making program.

The corner of the building of Max-von-Laue Oberschule

At Peter-Lenne Schule we saw an urban approach to agricultural education.  Students only attend school one week a month while participating in apprenticeships the other three.  Students are employed around Berlin working as landscapers, zoo keepers for the Berlin Zoo, and turf management for golf courses.  Course time was devoted to German language, math, social studies, as well as teaching specific skills students will need in the upcoming weeks at their apprenticeships.  The skills learned were essential to their success during their apprenticeships.

Greenhouse plans at Perer-Lenne Schule.

Animals kept at Peter-Lenne Schule.

Thuringia

Following our time in Berlin, we took a train to the German state of Thuringia.  Our time in Thuringia was the most bountiful where we saw Thuringia Energy AG, a public utility training center for youth apprentices, and Walter-Gropius Schule, a dual-vocational school for technical trades, 

Thuringia Energy AG is a training center for public utility apprentices.  Students have advanced training opportunities in where they can find leaks in gas lines, break apart types of ground paving to access electrical wires beneath, and climb electrical poles to fix power lines.  These are training opportunities not available to students in the United States until they have completed high school.  Instead of protecting German students from entering the adult world, there are transitions where students can use their public education to practice before entering the job site. 

Utility pole training center for students to practice.

German public utility apprentices re-wiring a circuit board.

Training center for utility gas lines.  Students can make connections and diagnose gas leaks.

Various forms of ground students break apart to access subterranean utilities.

Walter-Gropius Schule functioned much like Peter-Lenne Schule from Berlin.  Students attend classes one week a month and go to their paid apprenticeships three weeks a month.  Vocational classes at Walter-Gropius are built for an entirely different function then vocational programs in American schools.  Because students will get real world experiences while on the job, classrooms are built to be advanced learning labs.  A plumbing program lab is built with transparent pipes with all of the different configurations students can expect to see in the field.  A painting program is built for students to layout color pallets, and a carpenter program has students building small houses. 

High school plumbing program where student diagnose a variety of plumbing issues through transparent pipes.

School professional painting program where students test a variety of color combinations.

High school carpentry program where students build houses to scale.

Takeaways:

1. Begin career exploration as early as the seventh and eighth grade.
2. Connect lessons in school to skills students need in the working world.
3. Create partnerships between business and education to provide resources for students.
4. Place students in the workforce so they can make immediate connections to the relevance of the skills learned in school. 

To learn more about the West Valley Youth Apprenticeship program, email me at nesmithc@wvsd208.org or follow me on Twitter:  @NesmithEDU

  

Innovations in Professional Development

West Valley has taken an innovative approach to teacher professional development.  Each year our teachers have the ability to job shadow, intern, and tour various businesses around Yakima.  Each year's training differs from teachers touring in a whole group to individual placements as the job location applies to the teacher's content area.

This year's Career Connected Learning touring took place at West Valley Fire Department.  Teachers learn about the training fire recruits must pass.  The most important goal of the tours is for teachers to reflect on their courses and the transferability from the classroom to the working world.

The tour was hosted by WVFD Retention Officer, Chris Lyons, who also teaches the West Valley High School Fire Science program.  Chris gave a unique outlook on supporting students to meet standard.

Chris Lyons of WVFD answer questions about cadet training.

"No one gets left behind, it is as though my life depends on them learning everything because it does.  I don't want to be in a burning structure with a recruit unless I am 100% certain they are prepared and it's my job to prepare them."

West Valley Fire hosts their annual potato feed coming up next Friday, September 14 from 5 to 8pm for only $6. 

If you are interested in hosting a WV Teacher for future job shadows, please email at: nesmithc@wvsd208.org

West Valley teachers entering the fire prop where recruits train with active fire.

AMPED Algebra at West Valley Junior High

AMPED Algebra

This fall, West Valley Junior High and Freshman Campus launched a new innovative approach to Algebra through AMPED, Algebra 1 through Manufacturing Process, Entrepreneurship, and Design.  Classes will be a two period block learning experience with a team taught approach connecting a math teacher with a Career and Technical Education Teacher.

AMPED Students learn how to run and operate the business of an advanced manufacturing shop.  They will also learn how to design and build products, market and sell, while using algebraic skills.  AMPED is a real world approach to teaching algebra by allowing students to learn how math skills are embedded in their every day lives.

Learn more about AMPED here.

AMPED Students setting a design plan.

West Valley Junior High

At WVJH the inaugural AMPED class is taught by Jed Watters, Pre-Engineering, and Patrick Murphy, Math.  Students are learning Auto CAD to design wood products which will eventually be cut out on the Pre-Engineering Labs CNC Machines.  

We kicked off the year with a business/school partnership between Triumph Actuation Systems, a local aerospace manufacturing firm here in Yakima, and West Valley by getting students started on the team work process, business ethics, and basic principles of LEAN manufacturing.  Tariq Khan from Triumph worked with students connecting how the skills they learn in class are being used here in Yakima.  Students in class were learning about the 'Laws of Diminishing Returns' and how to use algebra to predict the most effective production rate. 

Tariq Khan from Triumph Actuation Systems working with AMPED Students.