Preparing for work at school
Analy's Career and Technical programs have more students exploring career options
Two SRJC students, Alonso and Cory, both interns at Shone Farm in Forestville, were on a Future Ready panel earlier this month in the Analy auditorium, speaking to students about their experience as SRJC Ag Ambassadors and their student employee positions. An Analy grad, Alonso had never been around large animals before when he applied for the internship. He said he had a lot to learn but discovered he enjoyed the hands-on work. “As an intern, you can learn on the job,” he said, learning how to operate tractors and machinery as well as tackling bigger subjects like land management. He will graduate from SRJC with a degree in Environmental Science. “My education cost me zero dollars,” he said proudly.
A Petaluma grad, Cory didn’t consider taking agriculture courses in high school, thinking he might go into law enforcement. Then, he found himself in an audience like the one in front of him and heard about the ag internship at Shone Farm. He decided to give it a try and he also really liked the work. He encouraged students in this audience to “throw your hat in the ring when an opportunity presents itself.”
The third panelist was Jill Lowry, the CEO of Individual and Family Support Network (IFSN.org). She has spent over 20 years in social work and runs an agency that provides housing support and placement services in Santa Rosa. She said that her organization employs about 30 social workers. When asked by a student how she got started doing the work she does now, Lowry said, “I was homeless when I was 12. I had no parents, and I had to learn how to live on my own.” She explained that she got into social work because she wanted to help others navigate the same difficult experiences she had.
Practicing for a job
The week-long Future Ready sessions exposed students to a wide variety of occupations, including nursing, animal rescue, restaurant work, vineyard management, along with web and graphic design.
Heidi Mickelson, along with the Future-Ready team, organized sessions as part of her role as College and Career and Early College Credit Coordinator at Analy High School. She wants students to understand that they are preparing now for their future. “Students are practicing for a job while at school,” she said. “Every day they have the opportunity to practice skills that will benefit them in the future—arriving to class on time, communicating with their teachers and peers, and putting in their best effort. All are soft skills that employers are looking for.”
She said that companies are willing to train workers, but they want to hire people who can show up on time, demonstrate a willingness to learn, and have a good work ethic. She wants students to start exploring different opportunities that might interest them and which could turn into a career.
Students can also learn useful life skills through CTE. “Learning basic plumbing and welding doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be a mechanic or welder, but as a homeowner, you might one day be able to fix a pipe when a plumber is not available,” she said.
Mickelson used to teach Ag classes at Analy, but now she runs the school’s CTE and College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) programs. Analy has nine Career and Technical Education pathways, representing five industry sectors. A CTE pathway is a two- to three-year sequence of classes in a particular industry sector. The nine CTE areas are:
Ag Business
Ag Mechanics
Agriscience
Food Service & Hospitality
Plant & Soil Science
Media Production
Performance, Music & Live Entertainment
Residential & Commercial Construction
Patient Care
At mid-year, 26% of Analy students have completed at least one of the above pathways, up from 12% in 2021 and 18% last year.
Mickelson works with Stacy Fortin, Analy’s Work-based Learning Coordinator, to get work experience for students with local employers. This year, 129 students are involved in internships, volunteering and other kinds of work experience outside of school, up from 43 the year before. Another key part of Mickelson’s job is writing program grants. Analy has applied for two $3 million CTE Prop 2 grants from the State and received scores for one of the two grants that meet the criteria to move to the next phase; results for the second grant are due by the end of March, and the district is hopeful they will score high enough to move to the next phase with that grant as well.
Two new CTE buildings
Analy’s CTE programs will get a big boost next year when two new, dedicated buildings open on campus. The new construction is a sign of the growing importance of CTE programs for Analy students and the community.
Jennie Bruneman, Director of Facilities, described the $26 million construction project, funded by Measure A: “The first building (on the left) will house a Manufacturing Super Fabrication Lab, storage spaces, and an additional classroom dedicated to Design Thinking. The second building will include Ag Sciences and Culinary Arts facilities, along with two additional classrooms. Altogether, there will be a total of eight classrooms between both buildings.”
The buildings are expected to be completed in time for the 2026-2027 school year.
Early college credits
Another initiative that Mickelson is leading is securing early college credits for students through Santa Rosa Junior College. Some courses are offered on campus, and others require going to SRJC for the class.
Analy offers five college classes on campus:
Animal Science
Plant Science
Intro to Ag Business Management
Ag Computer Applications
Intro to Sports Medicine.
Students may enroll in SRJC classes on their own, but they are still required to take a minimum of five classes at Analy. Mickelson is working on agreements with SRJC so that students in Analy courses on Digital Video, Construction and Instrumental Music can receive credit by exam through SRJC.
Golden State Field Day
This week, Mickelson is busy chairing the 4th Annual FFA Golden State Field Day, which is a statewide, two-day leadership and career development event at the Forestville campus and at Shone Farm. Students from all over California will be coming to town to compete in contests like Veterinary Science, Fabrication, Welding, Job Interview and more. This contest is a collaboration between the North Coast Ag Partners and the SRJC Ag & Natural Resources department. “We are expecting 650 competitors — 200 more than we had compete last year,” she said. Mickelson worked on getting a grant for the North Coast Ag Partners consortium to support the event.
College and Career Readiness
One of the indicators on the California School Dashboard that has confused me (and some of our readers) is labeled “College/Career.” I originally thought that it reflected student attitudes on whether they felt high school prepared them for college or a career after high school. That’s not what it means.
At the February Board meeting, Superintendent Chris Meredith presented to the board his update on the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). A slide in his presentation showed the eight different sources for this College and Career Readiness indicator. Students are considered “prepared” if they meet basic requirements in State test scores, or meet State college A-G requirements, or score 3 or better on AP classes, or complete a CTE pathway. In other words, the College/Career readiness indicator aggregates a set of metrics but doesn’t provide a clear picture of how well students are prepared for the future, unfortunately.
At a time when the future of work is hard to predict and college degrees may not lead to good-paying jobs as they once did, CTE programs provide unique opportunities for students to discover alternative paths, which may or may not include going to college.
Recently, I asked a bright Analy senior what he planned to do after high school. I was expecting him to name a college. Instead, he gave me a one-word answer: “Cook.” He said he’s already working as a cook, and he thinks that he’ll keep doing it once he graduates. Of course, he could change his mind because he knows he has some options for college or career, now and in the future.
Other school-related items
This month, the Academy of Innovative Arts received its accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The process was led by Principal Greg Alexander.
Analy High is having its 4th annual Job & Volunteer Fair on Friday, April 3 from 10 am to 2 pm. The goal is to provide a space for students to hear about new job opportunities within our community. If you are seeking to hire teens and/or young adults this summer, use the following link to sign up: Analy High School Job & Volunteer Fair 2026
Analy High’s Boys Soccer team plays in a North Coast Section semi-final game tonight at 7 pm at San Ramon Valley in Dublin. The team is undefeated this year with a 22-0-2 record. They won last Saturday’s game against Alameda 1-0 in overtime.