New principal, Pathway program at Coast Union

New and exciting things are happening at Coast Union High School this year. We have a new principal, Scott Ferguson, several new teachers, a new Pathway program, and a pilot series to help art students discover their talents and help them toward a career goal.

Educator Ron Garcia is teaching Get Focused, Stay Focused, a Freshmen Foundation class to help students learn basic skills such as budgeting, career planning and consumer awareness. Some of the Pathway courses offered will provide dual credit with college classes. Students will be able to receive college units for some of the classes they are completing in this series.

This year we are also excited to implement a creative journal method to help art students recognize their talents and passions and apply them toward a career choice. The 10-week pilot program is aptly titled, Talent2Work and is an adaptation of “Putting Your Talent To Work,” a career guidance book for adults by local author Lucia Capacchione.

This research-based approach uses drawing and writing in a journal/ sketchbook in a way that helps students discover their passions and possible career paths. The classroom activities are done with minimal fear of criticism and self-judgment because students are not graded. This method has been proven to increase the student participation and allow them to concentrate on a possible career path. Capacchione has used this course of instruction in the Mission and Edinburg, Texas, school district with great success. I am excited to get her to work with her in our school.

New opportunities, a new principal, new teachers and new courses are all part of this renaissance happening at Coast Union High School.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 9:05 AM with the headline "New principal, Pathway program at Coast Union."