Tuesday afternoon on October 3, 2017, the Vista Chamber of Commerce held a a ribbon cutting for the Vista Learning Center located at 933 E. Vista Way, Vista. This is another asset for the City of Vista and a special day which warranted a visit from Rocky Chavez, Assemblyman 76th District, Vista Mayor Judy Ritter, and CouncilMember John Aguilera. Several others gathered together to celebrate the Vista Learning Center which is now operating in the City of Vista.
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Rocky Chavez spoke about what this program has done to advance education in North County. There was a short video presentation shown about Innovation High School by Tammy Friedeck, Learning Center Coordinator – Vista. See attached video and video clip from Rocky Chavez. We were glad that we were there to help celebrate this adventure and are looking forward to getting the word out about their program in the future.
Formerly known as Diego Valley, Innovation High School is a part of a larger network of non-profits known as Learn4Life. They are an independent study, WASC-accredited, high school diploma program and a workforce innovation partner, which allows them to serve students 14-24 years old. A majority of the students they serve have failed or dropped out of school, and often feel hopeless. Their model offers both job training and personalized instruction to suit the specific needs of students. In doing so, students are able to either catch up on credits and transfer back to their local school or they can earn their diploma with the Vista Learning Center. Innovation High Schools job training programs contribute to a skilled workforce which is a big challenge for our local businesses.
The following information about the Learning Center was shared by Tammy Friedeck: The center opened its doors in July 2016, but underwent a name change in July of 2017.
– Program- Unique in that we offer flexible scheduling for students from the hours of 8-5 (Mon-Fri). They are assigned a supervising teacher, who supports them every step of the way.
– Path to graduation- Students are given many options to complete their credits towards graduation: online, small group seminars, independent work, etc.
– Tutoring- We offer tutors both on site and virtually in the evenings and weekends.
– Clubs- There are several clubs for students to participate in that include our quadcoptor program where students complete curriculum in 3-D printing and build a drone from its parts. In addition we have a fashion club and elective courses in knitting, professional skills, guitar, chess, etc.
– Counseling- Counseling services are available to students. Our counseling program also supports students in finding their career path, whether is applying for financial aid for college or a trade school, hosting study sessions for the ASVAB, or exploring professions immediately following graduation. Our counselors also offer support and resources for students experiencing hardships.
– Job skills- We offer job skills training through our partners, Access, Inc. who are housed on site. They provide services to youth that include anything from resume building to helping them purchase professional attire for interviews. Access, Inc. case workers support our students even after they have graduated high school.
– Career and Technical Education- There are 6 sectors that our organization will continue to offer as pathways (Business Management, Information & Communication Technology/Networking, Design, Visual and Media Arts, Patient Care, Education/Child Development, and Public Safety). We currently offer CTE course in Digital Media Arts (Film production) and IT Essentials.
For more information, contact Tammy Friedeck at tfriedeck@innovationhigh.org
